CSS enigma

Clearing the Central Superior Services (CSS) examination is a coveted goal for many hopefuls who put in months to prepare. Qualifying through the exam means that candidates are able to apply for various bureaucratic positions, potentially securing careers for life. Albeit, this year, many of those hopefuls have been taken aback. Of the over 9,600 people who took the exam, a mere 200 or so passed, resulting in a pass rate of two per cent. This is an all-time nadir since 2011, when the passing rate was almost in double digits at just below ten per cent. This year’s grim results have prompted the administering body of the CSS exam, the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), to launch an investigation to complement its annual report about the challenges faced by test-takers and test-makers. It has summoned the Higher Education Commission to aid in the process. The move receives our approbation, granted the investigation is carried out in a transparent manner, including an objective explanation of the scoring process.

The pass rate for 2016 signals that the exam needs to be revised. In recent times, the pass rate has decreased, underscoring a regression; as awareness about the exam increases with generations, passing rates should be higher. Although some reforms have been made to the CSS, there are still many improvements missing, realising that civil services in Pakistan have been functioning more or less in the same manner as established during colonial times. The FPSC should consider complete electronic test administration and scoring, reducing room for human error — save for the essay section, just as other testing services have adapted with the times and incorporated technology where employable. While the FPSC cannot override the meritocracy system, it has a duty to ensure that exam questions are created reasonably such that industrious and well-meaning candidates are able to pass. Of course, the ultimate aim in this entire exercise should be to enhance Pakistan’s bureaucratic systems by recruiting the right manpower.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 16^th, 2016.

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