India is a young country.
Around 41% of the country’s population lies between the age of 25 to 54 years.
Converting this manpower to a resource rather than a liability depends on the
gainful utilization of its strengths for constructive purposes that ultimately
contribute to building of the nation. Education plays a crucial role in this
direction. However, it is the responsibility of the government and the society
in general, to ensure that sufficient opportunities are available for the youth
to convert their education into employment. For this, there is a dire need to
be vigilant and raise our voice against any unfair and unreasonable practices
that plague the recruitment processes and seek clarification in this regard.
In view of the limited
growth of private sector in our state, various government sector jobs present a
viable avenue for the educated youth to convert their educational qualifications
into gainful employment. Although, the capacity of the government sector to
absorb new recruits is limited, still it is these opportunities which every
aspirant has their hopes pinned on and it is the hope to land in these
prestigious jobs, which keeps them continuing their pursuit of education.
Imagine the disappointment faced by the students, when they are denied even a
fair chance to compete for the dream job they had been preparing for, during
all of their academic years. This bitter
disappointment was recently faced by many students who had been waiting with
bated breath for the selection process for the posts of Assistant Professor to
start, ever since vacancies were notified in the year 2013. Four years later,
as the results were announced, many of the applicants still cannot believe that
the golden chance they had been preparing for, is already lost and mostly, for
no fault of their own. The unreasonable policies that JKPSC adopted for
screening of the candidates and preparation of the merit list, left no way for
many bright and able candidates to even enter the race. Saying this, I
respectfully point out that the spirit of this article is not to deny the merit
of the candidates who got selected. It is merely to bring out the unjust nature
of the selection rules adopted by the JKPSC in this regard. I speak by and
large for the people of my stream but as far as I have learnt through
interacting with people of other fields, the inconsistencies in the selection
procedure were a common observation. Starting with the initial notification
issued by JKPSC on 23.05.2013 wherein the selection criteria were elaborated.
As per the notification, written test would be conducted for screening of the
candidates in cases where
a)
Number of vacancies are more than 100 and the number of applicants
exceeds three times the number of posts.
b)
Number of vacancies are less than 100 and the number of applicants
is not less than 350.
In any case, JKPSC did not deem it fit to conduct written test in
case of applicants below 300. Further, it was mentioned that:
“When the number of applicants for posts upto 100 is 350 or less,
the short listing shall be done in the proportion indicated in the sub joined
table on the basis of: (i) Percentage of marks secured in the qualifying
examination; and (ii) Higher qualification, if any, in the relevant subject”
and “the weightage for merit in the qualifying examination shall be 90% and for
higher qualification in the relevant subject up to 10%”.
The merit list drafted by the JKPSC was based primarily on the
marks scored by the candidates in the qualifying examination i.e M.Sc, in this
case. It is pertinent to note here that the candidates being evaluated had
obtained their Masters degree from different universities, which implies that
their syllabi, marking patterns and evaluation patterns differ greatly. Even
for the students of the same university, these parameters vary greatly from
year to year. It is a highly agreeable notion that percentages or marks
obtained in subjective examinations are not a very reliable parameter to
measure the caliber of an individual, even more so when the exams have been
conducted and evaluated in such a widely divergent manner. The simple way to
tackle this non uniformity would have been to conduct an aptitude test for all
the candidates, providing a uniform baseline for assessing their caliber. The
reluctance of JKPSC in adopting this simple solution, made evident by the
confusing guidelines issued by them, is beyond the understanding of many.
Conducting written tests even when the
number of posts in question are low, is not unheard of (Haryana PSC conducted
written test for the post of assistant professor in Biotechnology (4 posts) on
6th July 2016). Even in our state, written test for screening were
recently conducted for recruitment to the post of lecturer at 10+2 level and
for the posts of teacher at primary level. The reluctance in conducting a
screening test on similar analogy for recruitment at college level, is highly
questionable. Although JKPSC has admitted that the criteria was flawed and
amends will be made, it remains to be seen whether a fair chance will be
provided to all those candidates who were neglected due to the present norms
especially the ones who will be overage by the time vacancies are announced in
future.
Speaking of recruitment
processes, there exists an immediate requirement to reassess the outdated
eligibility criterion for selection in various disciplines. Many discrepancies
in eligibility criterion exist solely due to the non-acknowledgement of the
newer academic disciplines by the recruitment agencies. The UGC/education
system offers many allied (interdisciplinary) subjects of Natural Sciences
(Life Science, Physics and Chemistry) and Humanities for promotion of applied
aspects of higher education and research. Life Sciences, for instance, covers
various subjects such as- Botany/Zoology, Biotechnology, Medical Biotechnology,
Industrial Biotechnology, Bioinformatics, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology,
Microbiology, Genetics, etc. Minimum eligibility qualification for the post of
Assistant Professor in basic sciences (i.e., Zoology and Botany) in
Universities (State and Central) and Colleges is a Master’s Degree in relevant
subjects (i.e., Zoology and Botany respectively) with NET qualification (which,
coincidentally, is awarded as NET in Life Sciences and is common for students
from basic as well as allied disciplines). However, the candidates from the
basic science background are eligible for the Assistant Professor’s post in allied
subject’s department. Similarly, for recruitment in various laboratory related
posts in the Forensics Department in our state, candidates from basic sciences
- Botany, Zoology and even Chemistry, are eligible. Ironically, it is the
Biotechnologists who have first-hand practical knowledge and training regarding
techniques like DNA fingerprinting and other molecular and analytical tests
that are directly related to forensics. It is, hence, natural to question the
logic of offering specialized courses at higher levels when these
qualifications are not considered enough even for the fields that are directly
related to them. Why not modify the eligibility criteria and merge all the
related basic and allied subjects into single umbrella term, say UG/PG degree in
life-sciences and specify the required skills as desirable qualifications? And
if not, won’t it be better to scrap all the allied courses and offer them as
additional subjects/diplomas rather than offering them as full-fledged degrees.
It is high time now to critically evaluate the relevance of each study program
being offered in terms of its employability and relevance, and take a firm
stand to discontinue the programs that do not fit the standards so that the time,
money and efforts of thousands of students who might enroll in such programs in
future, may be conserved and put to a better use.
Higher education is not enough. There is a pressing need to make
our workplaces and our society fit for absorbing those with higher education as
well. There is a parallel need to modify the job scenarios that our society has
to offer, so that those who opt for higher education and acquire specialized
skill sets are absorbed according to their qualifications. And in a state like
ours, where private sector has a minimal role, the onus for doing so lies on
the public sector and the recruitment agencies associated with it. A fair,
uniform selection procedure with the provision of a common screening test and only
a reasonable weightage to interview needs to be adopted to ensure more
transparency. Allied and specialized courses need to be either included in the
eligibility criteria or scrapped in case they are deemed to be irrelevant,
instead of blindly continuing with them. Stringent filtering of the students
should be done before giving them an opportunity of doing the higher degrees.
But once given, there should be enough efforts and intent to ensure that ample
opportunities are available for them to secure their future with good jobs. The
younger generation is ready to work hard for the betterment of the nation. But
it is the responsibility of the nation and the current stakeholders to provide
them with enough opportunities to do so in order to ensure that the potential
of the vast demographic resource that our country is blessed with, does not go
to waste.
Contributed by:
RUPALI SHARMA
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