THE Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) conducts its competitive examination every year in which candidates with diverse backgrounds appear. The result of the written examinations for this year was announced on Nov 3 and mark sheets were issued two days later.

The result was shocking for a large number of candidates, and added weight to allegations that the Commission targets certain subjects. For instance, in Town Planning and Urban Management paper, four students who had BSc (Honours) in Town Planning, failed and none could get more than 15 marks out of 100. In contrast, many candidates with no background of the subject scored passing marks and even beyond. This speaks volumes about the irresponsible behaviour of the examiners.

Town Planning, as a subject, was also targeted in 2016 and most candidates with relevant academic background had failed back then as well. Similar was the case with some other subjects, such as International Law, Sociology, etc. The FPSC should hold the examiners accountable and do justice with the candidates.

Mubbashar Riaz
Lahore

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2020