’09 lists undecided, ’10 CSS results in

Fate of the successful candidates from 2009, and even some candidates from 2008, is uncertain.

LAHORE: The Federal Public Service Commission announced the results of the written tests for the Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations 2010 on Thursday, though the fate of the successful candidates from 2009, and even some candidates from 2008, is still uncertain.

The Supreme Court, in a decision on how a 10 per cent women’s quota for CSS jobs should be implemented, directed the FPSC in August to accommodate 13 more women applicants in the CSS 2008 allocations list.

The FPSC proposed to do this by creating 13 new posts, so it would not have to make room for them by terminating 13 candidates who had been selected earlier and were already under training.

Alternately, the FPSC suggested accommodating the 13 women in the 2009 CSS allocations, meaning there would be fewer seats available for candidates who sat the exams in 2009.

The FPSC was supposed to implement the SC order by September, but a final decision has still not been made. This decision rests with the Establishment Division. An FPSC official said that the division would most likely create 13 new posts for the CSS 2008 candidates.

He said the Establishment Division would soon issue the final allocation list for the successful CSS 2009 candidates. The 2009 candidates have been waiting for this list for the last four months.

The FPSC has never previously announced the results of the written test before announcing the allocation list for the year before.

The FPSC official said that the allocation process had been delayed because of the litigation in the women’s quota case.

He said that the CSS 2008 trainees had graduated from the Civil Servant Academy on October 5 and started their specialised training courses. Once the CSS 2009 allocations list is announced, the candidates will start their six-month Common Training Programme at the academy in December.

A total of 5,707 candidates sat the CSS 2009 exams in March 2009. Of these, 895 were announced on June 15 as contenders for final allocations.

According to the FPSC, 11,887 candidates applied for the CSS 2010 examinations, 7,759 actually sat the test and 638 passed (480 male and 158 female), at a pass rate of 8.22 per cent.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 15^th, 2010.