Assistant Grade Exam: PSC told to give candidates enough time


Apparently perturbed by the PSC’s undue haste in issuing notification for the Secretariat/PSC assistant grade examinations, the government has asked the PSC to grant enough time for the candidates to complete the Diploma in Computer Application (DCA) course, which is an added eligibility to apply for the post.


Personal and Administrative Reforms (Rules) Department joint secretary P J Vincent has wrote to the PSC Secretary on July 10, the very next day after the PSC had decided to issue notification for the examination on July 31.



The letter, which was superscribed ‘urgent’, a copy of which is with ‘Express’, says that despite the Government Order on making the DCA as the basic qualification for the Secretariat/PSC Asst posts, the GO on recognised institutes for doing the DCA was issued only on May 26.


Though the DCA course is of six months duration, it requires more time to complete the course and the government believes that candidates should be given enough time to pass the course.


It may be noted that media had reported about the concerns expressed by the candidates on the issue. 


The letter to the PSC further said that as it would be the first notification after the DCA was added as the basic qualification, the government had decided to allow the candidates to produce the certificates only during the time of certificate verification. The government has asked the PSC to take necessary steps to implement this decision.


When contacted, PSC chairman K S Radhakarishnan said that    there was no logic in the claim that prospective candidates should be given time to complete the course.  “There are already a large number of eligible candidates. How can we tell them to wait for others, who are not  eligible for the exam,” he asked.


When the complaints regarding the examination raised such as the PSC has been ‘degrading’ the post, which is the entry level for candidates who could even be considered for IAS after years, by limiting the exam only to one OMR type of hundred marks this time, he said that it was only last time that the preliminary test and interview were held. On all other occasions, there would be no interview.


“It is for clerical jobs that the test is being conducted. They have to remain as clerks for at least 15 years. The question of conferring IAS to some of them comes only later. That happens to one or two persons among  one thousand officials. So it is of no relevance to conduct the interview,“ he said.  He also added that this time the syllabus had been made comprehensive by including, the national movement, Renaissance, cyber laws, Constitution, arithmetic and other general subjects. The syllabus will be published in advance and everyone will get sufficient time to prepare for the exam, he said.

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