It appears that CGLE, 2013 is heading towards cancellation and chances of saving the examination appear to be very remote.
I just had access to the Delhi Police report on alleged leak of
question papers. I had posted earlier, several weeks ago, that if the
SSC was convinced of large scale leakage of
question papers before the examination day, they should cancel the
examination and hold it again. It appears from scanty reports on Delhi
police investigations that large scale leakage has been alleged. It is
not known whether such leak is before or during the examination but this
does not appear to be relevant at this stage.
Regaining confidence
of millions of unemployed youth in the competitive examinations in
general and SSC examinations in particular is the need of the hour. If
Police and CBI reports allege large scale leak it will be appropriate to
cancel the examination and any other action is not desirable.
It is
not known whether SSC has proposed holding of re-examination or
outright cancellation of the examination and clubbing the vacancies with
the 2014 examination or any other step, such as restoration of Tier III
as in the original notice. Now that the 2014 examination has been
notified there are not many choices.
The issue is no longer in SSC’s
domain but has become wider. I would like to urge the candidates who
still have age to appear for the other examinations, including the
SSC’s, to try to move on in life and apply for such examinations. Many
of them have incurred huge financial losses as they had left or foregone
lucrative jobs in the private or bank sector to prepare for securing a
government job through the CGL 2013. But realities now stare at their
face and they have to accept them. Move on in life. Your preparation for
CGL 2013 will not go waste and will help you in your struggle to get a
government job and through it a livelihood, recognition and status.
My heart goes to those who are now overaged for the SSC and other
examinations and for whom CGL 2013 was the last chance. SSC should try
to obtain a one time relaxation in age limit by one year if they decide
on outright cancellation of the examination and clubbing of vacancies
with 2014 examination. This has been done in the past and DoPT may not
have any objection. At least they will have another attempt at a
competitive examination and a chance to secure a central government job.
Since 2011 onwards SSC has tried to battle the menace of malpractices
in its examinations through various means, mostly successfully. It had
also placed the danger and extent of the menace in public domain. I will
be the last person to support results in an examination if there had
been large scale attempts to vitiate the process in the examination in
an organized way either through leaks or use of technology. Frequent
rumours of change in the examination system could have also precipitated
the situation and led to spread of attempts to vitiate the examination
system on large scale in 2013 examinations, when such attempts were
desultory till then.
I am worried about the larger dimensions of the
issue namely faith of the candidates in the examination system. I
understand that SSC is constituting an expert group to advise it on the
issue including further restructuring of the examinations. As CGL 2014
has been notified, it will be appropriate for SSC to issue a corrigendum
that at its option the examination, at least in Tier II, can be held
online. This will help it curb malpractices in Tier II and separate
qualifying marks in each paper in Tier II will eliminate the candidates
who may resort to questionable means in Tier I.
I find from a post
of Mr Sunil Ranjan that SSC has taken the policy decision to allot
candidates to various posts and leave state allotment to the
departments. I wish the policy decision, very important from candidates’
perspective, had been incorporated in the Stenographers Examination
2013 in which, according to Mr Ranjan, no state option was sought.
I still wish that a miracle happens and saves CGL 2013. But at this stage it appears to be wishful thinking.