Hundreds of aspiring candidates for Secretariat/PSC Assistant posts urged the PSC to provide sufficient time to complete the DCA course, an added eligibility requirement stipulated for applying the post. It was the other day that the PSC decided to issue the exam notification on July 31 and conduct of the exam in January, next year. It was in last year that the PSC revised the eligibility criteria for the Secretariat/PSC assistant posts.
As per the new criteria, candidates having 45 per cent marks for arts subjects and 50 per cent for science subjects can apply. Besides, they have to acquire a Diploma in Computer Application. But the candidates point out that it was only on May 26 that the PSC announced the names of the recognised institutes for doing the course. As the issuance of notification is scheduled to be on July 31, they will not get enough time to complete the DCA course from the recognised institutes such as C-DIT, IHRD, LBS, Audio Visual Reprographics Centre and Rutronix.
A number of candidates have opined that if the PSC do not allow them to complete the course, around 2 lakh youths will lose the chance to appear for the exam. Normally, around three lakh youths used to appear for the exam.
They demanded that the PSC should allow them to produce the certificates only during the time of interview or provide them at least six months time to complete the course. However, PSC chairman K S Radhakrishan has pointed out that it is not practical for the Commission to provide time for the aspiring candidates to complete the course. ”Those who are eligible for applying the examination during the time of notification can apply. Lakhs of eligible candidates are already there to apply for the post,” he had told Express when contacted a week ago.
Rank holders for the post of Secretariat Assistant post Pradeep and Vipin, hailing from Attingal, told this paper that the decision to limit the exam by just an OMR format of 100 marks would degrade the post as these posts will hold the chances of getting the IAS conferred, they said.