July 24, 2008	Thursday	Rajab 20, 1429

THATTA, July 23: Candidates who passed IBA-conducted test for teachers’ jobs but were later denied offer letters alleged on Wednesday that the change in percentage points for passing marks from 40 to 60 after the test had been held was a conspiracy aimed at fleecing the unemployed youth and accommodating favourites.

The candidates’ leaders Syed Jalal Shah, Raju Qureshi and Amjad Memon who led a procession held in protest against undue delay in issuance of job letters said the condition was an afterthought and a violation of all canons of merit and ethics.

They said that the result of test published in newspapers only contained marks obtained in written test, not including the marks obtained in viva voce.

They said that the government should give them relaxation taking into consideration literacy rate in Thatta district, which was lower than Karachi, Hyderabad and other districts of the province.

They claimed that if the 60 per cent condition was applied not a single candidate would be able make it, though there were 581 vacant posts for junior school teachers in the district.

Of 650 seats for PSTs, only 120 candidates had been issued offer letters and for 100 seats for HSTs only three candidates of 54 who had passed the test had been issued offer letters, they said.

They demanded that the authorities should look into the irregularity and issue offer letters to candidates keeping in view the district’s literacy rate.

ARREST: Thatta police claimed to have arrested a dacoit Abdul Latif Wario on Wednesday and said the accused had confessed to committing robbery in the house of a National Bank manager besides a number of road robberies.