SIALKOT: Local education authorities on Wednesday subjected hundreds of masters degree holder female candidates seeking Educator’s job by making them appear for interview before matriculate junior clerks.

The concerned officials of the education department deputed matriculate clerical staff on special duty for conducting the interviews of the masters degree holder candidates for their recruitment as educators.

The junior clerks conducted the interviews of MA/MSc female candidates at the Government Lady Anderson Girls High School here, as none of the members of the selection committee, comprising senior education department officials, who were assigned the task, showed up at the venue.

Clerks hold interviews for educators slots

Several candidates, who reached the venue from far-flung parts of the district, lodged a strong protest against what they called ‘mockery of merit’.

They termed it departmental apathy and injustice to them. Some of the candidates even refused to appear before junior clerks for interview, asking how a matriculate official could judge a masters degree holder.

Punjab Teachers Union (PTU) local chapter has also expressed grave concern over the situation.

PTU district president Muhammad Asghar Kahiloun and secretary general Syed Dastar Ali strongly criticised the local education department officials for the move.

They urged Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Commissioner Shamail Ahmed Khawaja and DCO Nadeem Sarwar to order departmental probe into the issue.

The perturbed female candidates told reporters that it was great injustice and an insult to them that they had been left at the mercy of junior male clerks for interviews.

The parents of the candidates held the district administration responsible for the mess, saying the interviews should have been conducted at the tehsil headquarters.

Meanwhile, a massive traffic jam was witnessed on the arteries around the interview venue because of wrong parking of vehicles there.

Many candidates also complained that their application forms with documents had been misplaced by the officials concerned of the education department, due to which they could not appear for the interview.

A large number of the candidates and their parents also thronged the offices of the district monitoring officer (DMO) for getting relief but they had to return empty handed as concerned officials were absent from the duty.

They chanted slogans against the district administration, demanding fresh schedule for the interviews.

DMO Muhammad Aamir, who had no argument to justify the situation, said the issue was being resolved “amicably”.

A spokesman of EDO (Education) office said the candidates who could not appear for the interview would be called for fresh interview on March 6 at the Comprehensive Boys High School.

The local education department had sought applications from eligible male and female candidates for filling some 900 Educators slots. Around 17,000 male and female candidates had applied for the jobs after clearing NTS test.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2015

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