CSS 2016 written exam

KARACHI: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) has allegedly started deducting marks arbitrarily. It has made the CSS exam capricious and fatalistic, though once it was thought to be an epitome of one’s hard work and competitiveness. The passing ratio has tremendously decreased. Instead of investigating the matter, the Commission has always accused the deteriorating education system but can educational standards anywhere in the world falter to this extent in five years? This does not sound plausible!

There is always huge uproar that civil services need overhaul. Hardly anyone has ever questioned the criteria of recruitment of bureaucrats who are selected on the basis of their command over English and not on the basis of traits that are mandatory to perform in the field. They are meant to be good administrators, law enforcers and diplomats, which demands leadership, determination and will power to serve the nation. These are qualities that are innately present in people and very hard to build later on. Shouldn’t they be selected on the basis of these skills rather than their command over English writing, which can easily be developed during service? Shouldn’t the FPSC review this policy of using fewer subjects as screening criteria?

This institution enjoys an impregnable constitutional cover, which doesn’t hold it accountable to anyone. After all, it is being run by people who, by virtue of being humans, are vulnerable to misusing unbridled authority. The authorities should speedily conduct an independent inquiry, which was previously agreed to, for reasons behind this sudden decline in the result. Is there a glitch within the system that is jeopardising the future of many potential candidates or is it the standard of education that is deteriorating at such an alarming rate?

Shabana Ashraf

Published in The Express Tribune, October 23^rd, 2016.

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