KARACHI:
In November 2020, the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) conducted the descriptive part of the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) under the supervision of a Sindh High Court (SHC) representative to ensure transparency as past CCE examinations have allegedly been unfair and biased. This decision reignited hope in many candidates as SHC’s involvement would rein in the crooked elements within SPSC. Unfortunately, this further complicated matters. Candidates waited for their results for two years, only to have them cancelled before they were announced due to allegations of tampering with answer sheets by rogue officials within the institute.
To address this issue, the honourable SHC recently announced the decision to “conduct the examinations afresh under the supervision of a High Court assignee”. One cannot help but wonder if retaking the exam is a prudent decision. Could the tampering issue have been resolved through a detailed inquiry? Candidates awarded extra marks could have been easily identified and dealt with. In some cases, entire sheets were switched, but this could have been identified by detecting differences in handwriting through modern technology.
Candidates have grown disillusioned with SPSC and are now dubious about retaking the exam fearing that the episode might repeat itself. Considering that the SHC representative was present during the earlier exam, why did they not suggest action against SPSC officials sooner? It seems that the corrupt elements will continue their malpractices without fearing any consequences. Even when officials are caught breaching the code of conduct, they are rarely punished or penalised. To summarise my feelings about SPSC, I quote Dante who said, “Abandon all hope ye who enter here.”
Shahnawaz
Hyderabad
Published in The Express Tribune, March 15th, 2023.
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