Mayhem after job test postponed at last minute

HYDERABAD: More than 25 people, including four policemen, suffered injuries on Sunday when police used batons to disperse thousands of angry jobseekers who held demonstrations and sit-ins across the province after learning that the University of Sindh had postponed a scheduled test for teachers’ jobs over reports that the test paper had been leaked out.

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The eleventh hour postponement of the written test that was scheduled to be held in all 23 districts of Sindh on Sunday for the recruitment of primary school teachers (PSTs) not only provoked widespread protests by hundreds of thousands of candidates across the province, but also set off a storm of mayhem in and around the test venues.

Many candidates lost their expensive cellular phones as the test organisers, with the help of policemen deployed at the entrance of the National Stadium, had stripped them of the phones without giving them any receipt, and the traffic police made matters worse for them by fork-lifting vehicles parked on the roadside.

The leak of the test paper for the post of primary schoolteacher (PST) and subsequent cancellation of the test in different districts of the province enraged the frustrated jobseekers.

They blocked roads, held demonstrations and sit-ins and in one incident set on fire chairs and tents when they learnt after reaching the designated examination centres from far-off areas that the test had been postponed. Their anger was heightened when they found none at the centres to guide them about what would happen next as the staff had slipped away quietly.

University of Sindh Vice-Chancellor Mazharul Haq Siddiqui has appointed a three-member inquiry committee to investigate into the leak of the question paper. The committee will submit its report within 15 days and the university has said that a new date for the test will be announced later.

In Karachi, as soon as the officials concerned announced that the test was postponed, more than 18,000 male and female candidates who had already occupied their seats in the National Stadium started chanting full-throated slogans against the officials of the education department and the administration for the inconvenience caused to them.

Shortly afterwards, a large number of candidates came out of the stadium and staged a sit-in on the nearby Dalmia Road for about an hour, causing hindrance in the flow of vehicular traffic proceeding towards Rashid Minhas Road via the National Stadium.

In Khairpur, police baton charged and arrested six candidates who were protesting against cancellation of the test for PST jobs.

Reports said that about 17,000 male and female candidates had arrived in the morning from eight talukas of the district at Shah Hostel and Naz Pilot grounds to appear in the test but only to learn that the test had been postponed because its paper was leaked out during the night.

The news angered the candidates and they blocked the Station Road and held a demonstration on railway tracks near Luqman railway crossing.

About 100 candidates laid on the tracks, leading to suspension of railway traffic for about an hour.

Police fired in the air to disperse the protesters and get the tracks cleared. When they did not budge they baton charged them and arrested six protesters Abdul Qayoom, Zahid, Saddam, Sajid, Waseem and Ismail.

The candidates termed it failure of the government and the University of Sindh and the civil society activists, Prof Mir Munawar Talpur, Wali Mohammad Leghari, Shahnawaz Dahot and others expressed dissatisfaction over conduct of the test for junior schoolteacher (JST) and high schoolteacher (HST).

They alleged that unfair means were used openly in the tests.

In Umerkot, eight candidates suffered injuries when police baton charged them.
About 6,312 candidates who were registered for the test were greatly angered when they told after arriving at the test centre that the test had been postponed on the directives of high-ups.

A large number of the candidates went to the press club after the news to voice their protest against the decision. As soon as they reached there, police led by SHO Sufi Aurangzeb baton charged them and injured eight candidates.

In Shikarpur, male and female candidates took out a rally, held a demonstration and blocked roads leading towards Shikarpur, Kashmore and Rustam in protest against cancellation of the test. The protesters set on fire tyres on the roads. Some of the protesters were wounded when police used batons to disperse them.

The supervisors and other staff responsible for holding the test silently slipped from the examination centres after witnessing candidates’ reaction to the news of postponement of the test.

According to the office of EDO of education, 10,632 candidates including 7,950 male and 2,682 female were scheduled to appear in the test.

In Badin, thousands of candidates who had come from various villages and towns of the district who were gathered at Pir Ally Shah Stadium to give the test were enraged over postponement and termed it a conspiracy against merit.

As many as 7,797 candidates including 1,929 girls had applied for the PST job against 260 vacant posts including 82 for female teachers.

The frustrated candidates took out a rally from the test venue and after marching on different roads, reached Shah Latif road where they split into three groups and observed sit-ins at Bilawal park road, Karachi road and civil hospital road.

They demanded that tests should be conducted at the earliest and the government should pay them TA and DA for appearing in the tests.

Over 10,000 male and female candidates who had come from various parts of Shaheed Benazirabad district to appear in the test held a demonstration outside the press club in protest against the Sindh University after they were told that the test had been postponed.

They termed it negligence of test organisers and said that if the paper had been leaked out it was not their fault for which they were being punished.

In Larkana, hundreds of male and female jobseekers who had gathered at the local stadium to appear in the test for the PST went berserk after hearing the announcement that the test had been cancelled.

The sudden announcement angered them and they rushed to the staff of the University of Sindh and education department to learn about the next date of test. But instead of trying to calm tempers the officials slipped away, which further fuelled their anger. The jobseekers torched chairs and tents and took to the streets.

A small number of policemen stood there silently and did nothing to control the enraged candidates. More police force was called in later to bring the situation under control.

In Mithi, six candidates and four policemen suffered injuries when police used batons, teargas shells and firing in the air to disperse thousands of candidates who were protesting against postponement of the test.

For the first time in the history of Thar, Mithi gave a look of battlefield when thousands of enraged candidates staged a sit-in, burnt tyres and blocked the Mithi-Naukot road. The protesters pelted police mobiles with stones, damaged a vehicle of the Sindh University and forced shopkeepers to pull down shutters.

Doctors at the Mithi Civil Hospital said that the injured identified as Majno Bheel, Javed Chandar and Idris were hit by bullets.

Majno told reporters that he was hit when the protesters threw stones at the mobile of DSP near Old Naka and police inspector Mehmood Bhoot and Mukim Nohri ordered policemen to open fire.

In Sukkur, hundreds of candidates held a demonstration in front of the press club. The protesters told journalists that they had come from remote areas of the district only to be told on arrival that the test had been postponed, which was highly condemnable.

SU cancels test for HST jobs

The University of Sindh announced on Sunday that the test for high schoolteachers held at the National Stadium, Karachi, on Friday also stood cancelled.

According to the announcement, the university said that only the test for HST jobs had been cancelled after receiving reports and photographs appearing in the press, indicating indiscipline and use of mobile phone during the test.—Bureau

CM wants report

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah has expressed concern over the leakage of test paper set for candidates applying for the post of primary schoolteacher.

The chief minister said he had directed the vice-chancellor of Sindh University to probe into the matter and submit a report to the government.

Speaking to newsmen at Sukkur airport on Sunday, he said the written test for the post of primary schoolteachers had postponed due to the leakage of paper and it would be conducted after two weeks.

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