The candidates who appeared in the recently held IBA test for the posts of junior elementary school teacher (JEST) and primary school teacher (PST) held a large protest demonstration at Jinnah Bagh here on Thursday against Sindh Cabinet’s decision to fix passing marks of 55% for all male candidates and termed it discrimination and a case of dual policy.
Protesters including Syed Zafar Shah, Saddam Junejo, Arbab Areejo, Jawad Bhayo, Alam Jagirani and others alleged while talking to newsmen that the question papers contained several mistakes for which candidates cannot be blamed. They said they appeared in a BPS-14 job test but the question papers were so difficult and faulty that they considered it as if they were sitting in the Public Service Commission examination for gazetted posts.
They added that Sindh Government has approved a dual policy in which 55% pass marks have been fixed for male candidates, 50% for female candidates and 33% for differently abled persons, which is discrimination and against the law of equity.
They said it is feared that elected representatives will sell appointment orders to their blue-eyed boys, loved ones and henchmen and termed it a conspiracy against poor educated people. They said overall 40% passing marks should be fixed for everyone to maintain equity and merit.
They further demanded that those candidates who have passed B.Ed and M.Ed should also be given preference and additional marks must also be given to them to establish good governance or else, they warned, they will launch a massive struggle across Sindh for the said purpose.
