THE Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) is considered one of the most transparent and meritorious institutions of Pakistan. Every year, the FPSC, through the Central Superior Services (CSS) examinations, recruits talented candidates for various bureaucratic positions across the country. The FPSC is among those credible few institutions in which the public still has some confidence.

However, for the last few years, the commission’s credibility and transparency have come under serious fire due to mismanagement issues in terms of paper-setting. Unfortunately, this year was no different as the vocabulary used in the English paper’s synonyms-antonyms section was obsolete and archaic. Many candidates, while criticising the paper, termed it a deliberate act to fail the aspirants.

Despite the usage of difficult words in the paper, some words were even misspelled which left the aspirants frustrated. Sharing the paper on social media, the candidates expressed their concerns and called it a tool to discourage the candidates as the CSS examinations are aimed at producing bureaucrats, not English philosophers or even linguists.

I believe the analytical skills and creativity of CSS aspirants should be prioritised instead of their grip over English language. However, it must also be assessed as it is indispensable for official correspondence. As the official language of Pakistan, English is crucial for our bureaucratic system to function, but challenging the candidates’ abilities through such papers is akin to demeaning them. The FPSC chairman and the authorities should ensure this does not happen in the future to safeguard both the candidates’ precious time and also the commission’s prestige.

Abdul Majed Khan

Islamabad

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2021