HYDERABAD, Sept 11: Candidates clearing the mandatory IBA-conducted test for post of teachers have opposed the present government’s criteria of 60 per cent marks as at the time of test no such condition was evident.

Members, Job Seekers Action Committee, while speaking at a news conference on Thursday alleged that many candidates obtaining 40 per cent and even some absentees had been given offer letters because of political influence. They handed a list of 10 such appointments to journalists.

Those who spoke included Manzoor Arisar, Essa Memon, Jalal Shah, Kabeer Nohrio and others.

Previous government declared successful those who obtained 40 per cent marks in the IBA test, they said adding the overall standard of education in Sindh churns out only a few capable of obtaining 60 per cent marks.

They said that the previous criteria was 40 per cent marks in written test, 15 per cent for professional qualification, 15 per cent for higher qualification and 30 per cent in viva voce examination.

The present government had done injustice by putting the condition of 60 per cent marks, they said. “We have been protesting against this injustice for quite sometime, but the democratic government has not taken any notice of our protest”, they lamented.

They said that the Sindh Education Minister Pir Mazharul Haq had admitted that there was a great difference in the standard of education in institutions of Karachi and that of areas like Kandhkot. They questioned whether a candidate of Karachi who had obtained 60 per cent marks in the test will be prepared to serve in remote areas like Tharparkar.

They disputed the claim of the education minister that the condition of 60 per cent marks had been imposed by the World Bank and said that the only condition imposed by it was of merit.

They appealed to the Sindh chief minister, education minister, representatives of the World Bank and leaders of civil society to take notice of the matter. They demanded an inquiry into the issuance of offer letters to non-qualified persons.

They threatened to stage a protest demonstration at the mausoleum of Ms Benazir Bhutto on Sept 14 and outside the Karachi Press Club on Sept 15 if they were not provided jobs.

Answering questions, they said that about 175,000 candidates had appeared in the IBA test, out of which 25,000 had obtained 40 per cent marks and only 7,200 candidates could qualify 60 per cent.