No rules: Govt job aspirants find ‘ideal’ testing conditions in Hyderabad

Candidates were allowed to take test on the road, sitting on bulldozers

HYDERABAD:

In an apparent violation of all the codes to conduct job recruitment tests, the Sindh Works and Services department allowed thousands of candidates to cheat their way.

On Monday, the department conducted two separate tests for the posts of BPS-1 to BPS-5 and BPS-5 to BPS-14. Up to 36 posts of these grades with an unspecified number of vacancies are on offer.

"We were made to collect a one-page form that contained the questions from a window of the office," explained a candidate, Anwaar Ali. "The small tent was crammed with candidates so a large number of us were made to sit on cranes, bulldozers and parked cars."

Another candidate, Umair, told The Express Tribune that his question paper did not even have a roll number on it. "We were told to write our mobile or PTCL numbers instead," he said.

The candidates for BPS-5 posts of air conditioner technician, waterman, lineman, tracer, electrician and plumber, BPS-7 posts for junior clerk, BPS-12 post for computer operator, and BPS-14 post for stenographer and head clerk were also given the same question paper. This is despite the fact that the academic requirements for these posts varied from a simple Matriculation to a university graduate.

Meanwhile, the works and services department secretary, Qazi Shahid Pervez, said that the answers of only those candidates who sat under the tent will be accepted. But he did not clarify as to how they will know who sat where. He added that the candidates were warned through loud speakers to stop cheating and using mobile phones.

A member of the examination committee, Muhamamd Arif, said they had planned earlier to conduct the recruitment through interviews but later opted for the written test due to a large number of candidates. Around 25,000 candidates have appeared for jobs since January 1, he said.

The candidates from 10 districts including Karachi, Hyderabad, Dadu, Jamshoro, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Matiari, Badin, Thatta and Sajjawal took the test in Hyderabad in the last three days. The tests will continue till January 13 in Mirpurkhas, Nawabshah, Khairpur, Sukkur, Shikarpur and Larkana.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 6^th, 2014.