FPSC raises concerns over declining standard of education

• The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), in its latest report, raises concerns over declining standard of education.
  
• A total of 27 candidates from Punjab University allocated posts in civil services each year in 2019 and 2018.
• There is an increasing trend of reliance on substandard material and guide books rather than original material, says report.
  

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), in its latest report, has raised concerns over the declining standard of education and recommended measures and policies to the government to improve it, The News reported. 

According to the latest annual report from 2019, the FPSC listed universities, both private and public from across the world, from where a total of 14,521 candidates appeared for the CSS exams. However, 372 of them passed the exam and only 214 were allocated posts in the Pakistan civil services.

As per the data, candidates from 77 public universities, 61 private and 40 foreign universities, appeared in the 2019 exam. However, only 4% of the allocations were made for foreign university candidates out of the total selections. Whereas, 73% of the total allocations were made for public university candidates, while 23% were given jobs from private universities of Pakistan.

A total of 27 candidates from the Punjab University were allocated posts in the civil services in each year in 2019 and 2018, which were the highest in both years, according to the FPSC report. LUMS, Lahore, was second for allocation of candidates in the 2019 exam. A total of 182 candidates appeared for the exam from LUMS out of which 24 bagged positions in the civil services in 2019. UET, Lahore, came in third, with 18 allocated posts, followed by NUST with 16 allocations.

As for the year 2018, the FPSC report shows that after Punjab University, students of NUST managed second most allocations in the civil services out of all Pakistani universities as well as foreign institutions. The number of candidates, who were allocated civil services jobs from NUST, stood at 23 for 2018. LUMS and UET Lahore were third with 19 allocations each.

In addition to this, candidates from top foreign universities, who participated in the 2019 exam, fell much behind than the students from local universities. Twenty-two candidates from Cambridge University, UK, appeared for the 2019 exam and all of them failed. In 2018, 12 candidates had participated from the same university and only one managed to pass the exam. Only one candidate, out of 66, from University of London was allocated a post in the civil services in 2019. 

In the same year, one candidate from Oxford Brookes University (UK), one from Georgetown University (USA) and one from University of Warwick (UK) were allocated jobs out of dozens who appeared for the exam.

Despite numerous appearances, not a single candidate from University of Birmingham (UK), London School of Economics and Political Science, Kings College (London), Imperial College (London), Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland), University of Huddersfield (England), Cornell University (USA), Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), Denison University (USA), Queen Mary University London, University of Bradford (UK) and University of Manchester (UK) was allocated a job.

Further, the 2019 report also observed that the decline in the standard of education was a cause of concern. “There is an increasing trend of reliance on substandard material and guide books rather than original material, research and creative thinking. It requires intense research, analysis and a comprehensive plan to focus on qualitative improvement in education at all levels,” the report added. 

It said concrete measures were needed to enhance the quality of education and language proficiency of the candidates. 

The commission also invited the attention of policymakers to taking appropriate measures so that minorities and women take full advantage of the seats reserved for them.