LARKANA: April 7, 2010. (Nazir Siyal report for PCP) No transparency in the recruitment of Primary School Teacher (PST) and alleged violation of eligibility criteria announced by the education department it self are fuelling unrest among candidates who had passed a written test for the job and they have decided to move the court. The department had advertised posts of Primary School Teachers on September 25, 2008 and according to the criteria given in the advertisement a candidate must be intermediate with second division and have primary teachers certificate (PTC) or certificate of teaching (CT). As per details, the passing marks for the test were 60 percent and assured the recruitment would be made entirely on the basis of merit. A candidate who bagged more marks would be recruited first, it added. It took the department a whole year to conduct the written test held by University of Sindh on May 24, 2009 in which a total of 83547 candidates 51865 males and 31682 females appeared in 11 districts of the province. Surprisingly, the departments reforms support unit had a notice published on March 18, 2010 giving rules of the recruitment another year after the written test. The notice said that the eligible candidates would receive a merit score of academic qualification, Intermediate 10 marks, Graduation 12 marks and Master 15 marks, professional qualifications PTC 08 marks, CT 10 marks, B.Ed 12 marks and M.Ed 15 marks and residence in same union council 30 marks, same taluka 25 marks and same district 20 marks. The notice relaxed the condition of PTC and CT as eligibility for applying for the post of primary school teacher but it was too late coming. At least 1503 candidates including 1225 male and 278 female of Larkana district passed the test and the department selected 556 candidates including 156 females under a hither to unknown criteria, awarding 20 extra marks to female candidates as a gender preference. A total of 244 out of 278 successful female candidates were selected. Only 111 candidates were selected on the basis of merit on union council level and some 53 were selected on taluka level and 80 on district level merit list. A number of female candidates living in Larkana city were posted in far flung areas of Bakrani, Dokri, Ratodero and Larkana and although it was clear they would not be able to travel to the schools in remote villages. The candidates who had secured 60 percent marks and above but were not given the job hare held a number of demonstrations in protest against the education department Waheed Jatoi, Abdul Aleem Soomro, Nadeem Mirani, Nadir Hulio, Nazir Ahmed Khaskheli and other candidates told this scribe that hundreds of candidates were rejected by the recruitment committee of the district over unknown reasons. They said that they had secured 60 percent and above marks and many of them had good academic qualifications but they were rejected when the department changed the criteria at the eleventh hour to favour candidates of its own choice. They had decided to move the court and file a petition against the education department for violating its own eligibility criteria, they said. Larkana Executive District Officer Education Syed Rasool Bux Shah said that he knew the eligibility criteria given in the first advertisement was later revised by the department reforms unit in the light of new policy of recruitment approved by the Chief Minister Sindh, added that he had followed by the directives received by the Secretary Education Department Sindh through a letter dated July 10, 2008. the letter clearly mentioned that a successful female candidates must be given 20 extra marks as gender preference, he said. Abdul Aleem Soomro secured 84 marks and after adding 10 additional marks for intermediate and 20 marks for domicile his total reached 114 but he was not selected. Tanveer Hulio who scored a total of 78, received 20 additional marks for his gender, 10 marks for intermediate, 12 marks for graduation and 15 marks for master making his total marks 135 and enabling him be selected. Senior educationalists said on request of anonymity that the criteria had been changed just to favour candidates of choice because the test marks could easily be verified through the Universities web site. But if an official wanted to favour a candidate, he might award him highest marks because no one could be able to vrify the documents, except the education department, he said.