Academic experts along with the HEC should find out reasons for the increasingly disappointing results
LAHORE: Only 202 of the 9,643 candidates who appeared in the most recent Central Superior Services (CSS) exams managed to clear the examination. The shocking exam results have elicited much commentary. A majority of people lamented the falling standards of education. However, some praise the examination for being meritocratic and so rigorous that it selects the very best for the civil service, which, they argue is all for the betterment of the services. But does this claim hold any water?
Only 2 per cent candidates could pass the CSS examinations of 2016. According to results declared by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), only 2.06 per cent students could secure minimum passing marks.
The poor results are a matter of concern. There is a need to bring improvement in the higher education sector of the country. During the past few years, the CSS results have been declining and last year was considered to be the worst so far.
The passing rate of the CSS exams has been declining for the past few years with 3.33 per cent in 2014 and 3.11 per cent in 2015. In fact, the percentage of candidates qualifying for the written test has come down from 9.75 per cent in 2011 to 2.09 per cent in 2016.
The mushroom growth of higher learning institutions, particularly in the private sector, is one of the major reasons behind the decline as few candidates take the CSS exams very seriously.
The FPSC should try to find out whether the problem is with the exam method, paper pattern or there are reasons other than that at play, and a thorough assessment should be conducted to get to the bottom of the matter. The candidates might have been disturbed by group combinations for selection of subjects that were changed by the FPSC at the last moment.
There is also a quality of education issue and the HEC should conduct audit of universities to solve it. Moreover, there is a gap between the assessment of students and the subjects they are being taught in universities. This matter should be consulted with the HEC, education experts and people from academia to find out reasons for the increasingly disappointing results.
Dr Zeeshan Khan
Published in The Express Tribune, May 13th, 2017.
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