What’s behind protests and politics over TGPSC exams?

Hyderabad: What was cooking behind the scenes when students and unemployed youth were hitting the roads for a fortnight protesting demanding the postponement of the Group-II exams and DSC, apart from demands to call qualifying candidates in 1:100 ratio for Group-I Mains exams?

The State government has announced issuing a fresh notification for additional filling up of posts through DSC and the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) on Friday announced the postponement of Group-II exams, scheduled to be held on August 7 and 8 to December.

However, the State government had stuck to calling qualifying candidates in Group-I in the 1:50 ratio for the Main exams. The reason is the stipulation in the notification and any change in it might lead to landing the entire process of Group-I in courts.

N Sridhar Reddy, a graduate, pointed out that what really worried many of the aspirants was, to get more attempts to take the exams and more opportunity to face the interviews.

Additionally, for 10 years there were no Service Commission examinations and the aspirants have been jumping from the preparation of one exam to another, between the police recruitment and the Central Services exams which have the criteria of under graduation.

Those left with less number of attempts because of the age criteria in giving the examinations are the most worried lot. The majority of them were the ones who hit the roads and demanded the postponement of the examinations so that they could attempt several examinations to maximise their number of opportunities.

It is not just in the case of Service Commission examinations. Those working in contract positions among teachers and university faculty have been demanding that their services be regularised first based on the years of their service before going for filling up the posts, points out CV Ramachander Rao.

“There are so many changes in the examination pattern. A contract teaching faculty might not be in a position to compete with a recently passed postgraduate in examinations like SET and NET.

The delay in filling the posts periodically and not conducting qualifying examinations for years left many fear that they might lose the opportunity or even lose the existing job they are serving on a contract basis,” he added.