SURESH SINGH KATOCH
Respected Madam/Sir
I want to bring to your kind notice the following discrepancies regarding the recruitment process initiated by the JKPSC vide Notification No: 09 – PSC (DR-P) OF 2016, Dated: 19th March 2016 and the subsequent Notification No. PSC/ EXAM / 2016/48, Dated: 12th May 2016 for filling the posts of Lecturer(s) +2 in School Education Department in various subjects:
Whereas, as per the Notification No: 09 – PSC (DR-P) OF 2016, Dated: 19th March 2016, the selected candidates shall have to serve initially for a period of five years in areas notified as Zone-III in the transfer policy by the Government vide Order No.622-Edu of 2015 dated:22nd December 2015 issued by the School Education Department, during the period of first five years the appointee(s) shall be entitled to the minimum of scale of pay along with the grade pay applicable to the post against which he/she is appointed when the Pay Scale for the posts carries the pay scale of Rs.9,300-34,800 with Grade Pay of Rs.5,400.
At the time when the educated youth of the state is desperate for employment, and the general price level seeing a sharp rise, the step motherly treatment meted out to them by paying them approximately, half the pay, they are entitled to, shows how cruel joke is being played with them. On the one side, you (government) want to enhance the education system in the State and on the other hand, you discourage them from giving their cent percent towards the goal by paying the salary equal to uneducated daily wagers. How and how far can you justify this cruel joke with the educated youth in the garb of your so called New Recruitment Policy (NRP)? Can you apply this NRP to daily wagers too? Can you apply this NRP to MLAs, MLCs and ministers and the newly elected members of the Recruitment Boards, who play this cruel joke with the unemployed job aspirants by framing these discriminatory and cruel policies? If you feel and you justify the NRP by playing Financial Crunch card, why not to reduce the salaries and emoluments and perks of the legislators too, so that you get to know where the shoe pinches. Are those in position the children of greater God or are the new recruits, the children of lesser God?
Coming to point, not only the JKPSC applied the NRP to the above mentioned, Notified posts of +2 Lecturers but also discriminated between the posts of Doctors (Medical Officers) in the Health and Medical Education (HME) Department and Lecturers in the School Education Department; whereas the Minimum of Pay Scale is applied in case of Lecturer posts, the same is not applied to the Medical Officer (MO) posts in the HME Department notified vide Notification No. 08-PSC(DRP) OF 22016, Dated: 19th March 2016; whereas, as per the above mentioned notification, the selected candidates (+2 Lecturers) shall have to serve initially for a period of five years in areas notified as Zone-III in the transfer policy by the Government vide Order No.622-Edu of 2015 dated: 22th December 2015 issued by the School Education Department, the same is not applied for MOs despite the fact that both the type of posts are gazetted in the same Grade and Pay Scale. How can this be justified by any rationally thinking person or authority? Otherwise too, the doctors are needed more in the far flung areas where people long for medical facilities rather than the teachers, then how come lecturers are made to serve in the far flung (Zone-III) areas and not the doctors?
How can a newly employed employee at the average age of 30-32 years manage to fulfill his/her day-to-day expenses and other requirements of life with Rs 15,000-16,000 per month for five years when he/she is employed under the pay scale of Rs.9,300-34,800 with Grade Pay of Rs.5400 that too in Zone-III, far flung areas? How will he/she get the 20-25 years of invested money on his/her education back? How will he/she manage to get married? These are the pointed questions which need urgent answers from the authorities sitting at the helm of affairs.
Coming to the selection procedure notified vide Notification No.PSC/EXAM/2016/48, Dated: 12th May 2016, the Recruiting Agency (JKPSC) has earmarked five points for M.Phil and eight points for Ph.D (subject to a maximum of eight points) which are increased from two and three points (subject to a maximum of five points) for M.Phil and Ph.D respectively which were being allocated previously, even without having a word on fulfilling University Grant Commission (UGC) norms regarding Minimum Standards and Procedures (MSP) for acquiring M.Phil/ Ph.D degrees, which has stalled the recruitment process for Assistant Professor posts in Higher Education Department by the same agency (JKPSC), all together for several months now. A clarification needs to be issued here by the JKPSC to clear whether, it intends to check the quality of higher degrees or accept the degrees even of tuck shops or those ‘purchased’ or acquired without fulfilling the guidelines in the form of MSP.
Even the points earmarked (two points) previously for sports/NCC categories have been reduced which is absolutely discriminatory and beyond any reasoning. At the time when we are focusing more and more on sports, NCC and other extra-curricular activities and have even prescribed and have been teaching Physical Education subject at +2 level in the State, so as to develop sound mind and healthy students while providing quality education, reducing the points being allocated previously for sports/NCC activities in the selection process is all together an insane decision of the JKPSC, which needs immediate revision. When we need to encourage students to take part in sports and other extra-curricular activities, reducing points will discourage rather than encourage students from taking up these activities. The previous Omar Abdullah led NC-Congress Govt. even talked of providing reservation for NCC in jobs but you (Govt. and JKPSC) have done exactly the opposite, how can you justify this? Even if you can’t provide reservation at least don’t deprive them of what they already were being paid.
When the points being allocated to Higher Education degrees are increased by a huge margin how the marks allocated for sports/NCC be reduced? Why this discriminatory policy? These questions need to be analysed and answered on an urgent basis and in a holistic manner.
Even the allotment of 25 per cent weightage to the interview at a time when every effort is being made to reduce the weightage being given to it due to the possible bungling and biased approach of the interviewers as well as flaws in testing the capabilities of a person within few minutes of being interviewed are being recognised and acknowledged due to which even the Central Govt as well as State Governments (except J and K) have completely abolished the interviews at Grade B, Grade C and Grade D (Not-Gazetted) level posts, seems to be an irrational decision of the JKPSC under the patronisation of the State Government. Even, when JKSSB has earmarked only 20 per cent weightage for interviews in various categories of posts, giving 25 per cent weightage by the JKPSC seems fishy and keeping the scope of giving edge to the blue-eyed candidates in the interview seems to be the only possible reason for the same. This matter also needs immediate re-consideration, even if the weightage is not reduced, the JKPSC should at least make videography of the whole interview process mandatory so as to make the selection process cent percent free and fair and to give precedence to talent over anything else.
Last but not the least, the commission has also failed to earmark any points for NET/SET qualified candidates though while filling the forms, the candidates were provided with the column; whether the candidate(s) has/have cleared NET/SET or not. Isn’t it a fallacy of the commission to give five and eight points respectively to M.Phil and Ph.D degrees (the possession of which not even makes a candidate eligible for Assistant Professor jobs in Colleges/Universities without NET/SET) and not even a single point to NET/SET qualified candidates, who have achieved a sort of landmark at the national/State level and which has been recognised as a measure of teaching ability by the UGC and has been made the eligibility criteria for the posts of Assistant Professor(s) at the college/university level? Doesn’t this call for having a re-look over the points allotment criteria advertised by the JKPSC? Of course, it calls for the re-look!
Having said so, I would like you (CM/Chairman JKPSC) to kindly have a re-look at the above mentioned subject and points and come out with empathetic solution as soon as possible. Who knows a little effort on your part proves to be a cornerstone of bringing out the true talent and deserving ones get precedence over non-deserving which is what the justice system calls for.