With several posts in departments and government-run corporations lying vacant due to the state government’s indecisiveness on recruitments, the recent remarks by the CM on taking an affirmative action on employment to these posts should have brought cheer to many seeking a public-sector job.
Hence the news that all 8000 candidates who appeared for a written examination for the post of accountant in the Directorate of Accounts failed to secure qualifying marks required for clearing the initial recruitment examination comes as a shock! With no obvious reason imaginable for this mass-failure, it becomes difficult to figure how the government intends filling up the 80 posts.
Calling this ‘debacle’ a sad commentary on the collapse of the state’s education system, fingers are being pointed at the Goa University and the Commerce colleges that produce these graduates.
When the passing percentage of the written exams conducted for the post of accountants in Goa since 2012 has always been low, it becomes difficult to understand the indifference shown by the aspirants to meticulously plan their preparations and crack the selection tests.
With the ‘worthiness’ of any legislator in Goa measured by his/her capacity to give jobs to people from the constituency, it comes as no surprise that for an aspiring candidate seeking a government service, the MLA or minister’s recommendations come as a definite assurance of the job. But, as in this case, the mass disqualification of the candidates appearing in the written examination portends a trend where most job-seekers depend on the ‘influence’ of their benefactors more than their education prowess and abilities.
Their academic qualifications notwithstanding; with concerns being expressed over the professional efficiency of the new-staffers in the Department of Accounts, the problem of inadequate job-oriented training in our educational curriculum stands out as a glaring anomaly.
A prominent minister in the present ruling dispensation is famous for ‘saturating’ every department directly under his control with candidates from his constituency even when he was a minister in the earlier government. The end-result has been the deterioration of work-culture in institutions where he exercised his authority with the multitudes employed by him turning into caricatures of inefficiency and indiscipline.
Without touching on the jobs for sale aspect of government recruitments that has created a furore for decades now, it is nevertheless essential to have a transparency in the system which involves screening and hiring of prospective candidates for government jobs.
Dedication and efficiency of the staff employed thus become key-words in the smooth functioning of any government!
In response to the unbelievable results of the written examination, the GPSC chief was on record commenting that Goan youth lack ability to reason out. Of the opinion that the prevalent education system in the state is incapable of preparing the local youth to answer the competitive as well as job-oriented examinations, the GPSC chief holds the view that they lack in analytical reasoning, knowledge of scientific application and general knowledge, including current affairs, and hence fall short while performing at such examinations.
The pattern of education where memorizing has been the main element of study has undoubtedly created a void which does not allow our youngsters to adapt to any modification in examination patterns that deviates from the set ones where ‘mugging-up’ techniques have helped students score mind-boggling percentages.
These tests of reasoning, a general understanding of subjects opted for and a fairly good knowledge of current affairs will afford aspirants a level playing field.
It is a competitive world out there today. With decimals of marks scored deciding success and failure, it becomes imperative to have a regimented schedule marking every phase of preparation for any examination. Coaching centers mushrooming all over the country is evident of this trend.
With Computer-Based Recruitment Test (CBRT) for candidates having become the most preferred hiring mode for employers both in public and private sectors, preparations in the right direction remains the only option. Hence the question as to whether the education department needs to make training for developing students’ ability to answer objective questions a part of education cannot but be purely hypothetical!
Considering there are lacunae in the present system which also does not foster the youth’s ability to answer competitive exams, it would be wrong to ridicule the Goan lads’ lack of exposure to the modalities of answering competitive examinations.
No doubt this has been a big handicap for Goan lads, accounting for their below-par performances in such tests. Otherwise, harsh adjectives like ‘not bright’ and ‘mediocre’ as reasons for their failure sound too demeaning. Our youth definitely do not lack intelligence and reasoning!
They falter because they do not have enough guidance! Hence, government should mull over the need for appropriate institutions to impart training for such recruitment examinations. The results will definitely be different! With the job-market evolving with every passing day, hands-on knowledge is an essential demand in all recruitment processes. It thus becomes essential for a job-seeker to keep abreast of all the latest staffing methods-competitive exams included!
