THE Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government conducted a test for the post of Assistant in BPS-16 through the Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) on March 20. More than 50,000 candidates had appeared in the examination, including those having MPhil and PhD degrees.

However, the arrangements for the test were miserable, to say the least. The test started two hours behind schedule; the reporting time was 8am, but the test began at around 10am. Besides, about 10,000 students were accommodated in an open air ground without proper seating arrangements. Drinking water and washrooms were also not available for the candidates. However, the most disappointing fact was that some of the invigilators were actually assisting their favourite candidates in cheating their way to success.

The provincial government should ensure appropriate arrangements and transparency in exams. The monthly stipend programme for the unemployed and educated youth is a positive step, but it is not what the youths want in the long run.

Hundreds of thousands of students graduate from different public and private universities every year, and the government should create more jobs and a favourable environment for the students to take an examination.

Abdul Jabbar
Peshawar

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2022