NTS Based Recruitment: Growing Number of Complaints

Aziz Ejaz

Quetta –Balochistan Government for the first time announced to recruit teachers via National Testing Service (NTS) tests. This announcement was repeatedly admired particularly by the leading political parties who called it a step towards transparency and improvement of educational sector.

Beside this Dr. Abdul Malik Baloch, the Chief Minister (CM) of Balochistan declared it a big achievement for advancement of Education as it will be followed up to restore the merit which has long been neglected.

After conducting the tests for thousands of vacant positions for the entire province, NTS has gradually started announcing the results and the final merit list of the students.

This recruitment policy initially declared to select the candidates on Union Council basis but the administration avoided to mention the appropriate list of the seats of the Union Councils. Only the name of the districts and their positions were cited. This feasibly created a sense of reshuffling when lately the final merit list of Panjgur and other districts was announced.

The District Education Officers (DEOs) of these Districts deliberately avoided mentioning the positions, when the aspirants asked from them. Names of the some aspirants have been included in some Union Councils to which they do not belong. Moreover, some extra Union Councils have been added in the lists which were not mentioned in original list of District Education Departments declared.

This appalling situation of the recruitment system has utterly perturbed the aspirants. ‘’Education Department of Panjgur has been accused of selecting teachers on political approaches, bargaining of the seats in millions and on nepotism basis,’’ lamented a short listed aspirant.

Previously DEO of Panjgur had been dismissed and brought to court for corrupt practices and bargaining under the hands of the political parties. Now the same DEO has been provided another chance for mysterious reasons.

Most of the districts more or less have the same sort of complaints.

A student from Jaffarabad while talking to the Balochistan Point said, ‘’in our district especially in my own Union Council there are names of people who originally belong to Punjab and Sindh.”

‘’When I tried to confirm the exact number of seats of JET and JVT of my Union Council, the concerned officer pretended to give the details which doubtfully indicates there is something fishy,” said an aspirant from Panjgur.

Secretary education must take notice of this matter and ensure that recruitment of candidates should take place on the basis of original Union Council lists.

The provincial Government repeatedly calls for educational emergency, if they want to restore the merit they have to ensure that NTS recruitment is not hijacked by nepotism, demand aspiratnts.

Staff report

Published in The Balochistan Point on October 25, 2015