In spite of demands of uncountable candidates for age relaxation in the CSS examination, nothing fruitful has been seen. I think authorities are in a mood of not obliging the candidates as usual. Age limit in such a competitive examination throughout the globe is 30 to 35 years. Authorities don’t want to have anything to do with the wishes of the candidates who do not have schools and colleges at stones through but at a distance of at least 10 kms, where one has either to go by foot or wait for a long time to be hanging on sides of public transport vehicles.
Secondly, it is no good to implement same age limit for the candidates of Punjab and the rest of provinces. Because Punjab’s every city is full of educational facilities. Well-oriented teachers are available at candidates’ disposal. Subject specialists’ can be hired at cheaper rates. No one has to go to school or college by foot as this practice is the game of every day in other provinces.
More conspicuously, the students of Sindh, KPK and Balochistan have only almost no access to the internet which is the only source on current affairs. From the awareness and maturity point of view, it has been observed that an aspirant of Sindh, KPK and Balochistan receives maturity very late. This is not due to his less interest but because of poor educational facilities. In addition, there are only a few people who can guide students to pass through competitive examinations.
Beyond doubt, other provinces of Pakistan do not have such facilities as Punjab does. Students of Sindh, KPK and Balochistan have to go to big cities to get themselves ready for competitive examinations, since there is dearth of high-quality teachers in these provinces who would have ample understanding of competitive examinations research.
In this context, aspirants of these provinces need approval of their parents. Due to tremendous poverty in the above said provinces, students are unable to find sufficient amount of money to carry on their studies in big cities for preparation of competitive examinations.
Therefore it is only prudent that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Chairman FPSC Justice (retd) Rana Bhagwandas increase the age limit in the CSS examination by five years.
DR IRFAN ALMANI
Rawalpindi