For First Part : Age relaxation for CSS 2012 exam Part 1 – by Shamoon Qureshi

Salus Populi Suprema lex- CSS 2012 Age Relaxation

CSS Age Relaxation issue has been highlighted and strongly demanded by all the quarters of serious aspirants but government is standing unfazed by its audacious decision passed back in 2008. This article is also the manifestation of strongest demand of people, which is indeed gaining momentum. This is the continuum of my previous article.

The population of Pakistan is roughly about 180,000,000, following is the historical trend which shows the rise of urban population since the country’s creation. It means that Pakistan is going to transit from agro economy to industrial economy (unfortunately shrinking economy).

Historical Populations
Census	Population	Urban
1951	33,816,000	17.80%
1961	42,978,000	22.46%
1972	65,321,000	25.40%
1981	84,254,000	28.28%
1998	130,580,000	32.51%
2008	172,800,000	32.34%

However, according to the 2009 Human Development Report of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),60.3% of Pakistanis live on less than $2 a day. The World Bank Report 2010 for second fiscal mentions that 3.4 million more people will go below poverty level in Pakistan. The prices for basic commodities have also inflated manyfolds. It means, for students, that one has to drop one’s education for good(bad) to render the support to ailing household economy. Another option for them is that to discontinue the education temporarily and earn the tuition fee while supporting the family. For this purpose one has to afford the academic gaps and late completion of education. If one does so, one goes beyond the prescribed age limit for CSS and government’s set rules blocks one’s entry to even appear in CSS exam and serve one’s own country in the capacity he/she deserves. How ironic!!!

Now cast a glimpse at the literacy rate in Pakistan:

definition: aged 10 and over and can read and write

• Total population: 57%
• Male: 69%
• Female: 45% (2009 est.)

If you go to HEC website, only 132 degree awarding institutes are there in the Land of Pure which are registered, let alone their capacity to cater the need of education to the masses. Let alone the dwindling financial powers of masses to afford higher education, with rocketing sky high inflation and transcending poverty level, at the cost of their household budget. The dilemma goes on and on, and whole cabinet had orchestrated the music which made our PM harp on the same tunes of NO REFORMS, NO ADVACEMENT.

Above statistics of literacy make us think that the figures depicted in it would represent mostly under-grads or less even many with no formal education certificate/degree because we don’t have infrastructure to educate 57% of 180,000,000 people in universities or degree awarding colleges. It is proven; remember fake degree holders in assemblies through 2008 election, 342 seats in national assembly couldn’t be filled out by all geniune degree holders some were fake degree holder legislator. There are some brave people who somehow managed to get higher education by fits and starts, by leaps and bounds and by sheer will of theirs to get better themselves and their families are prohibited to even take the competitive exam to serve their country because of their ‘age’!!!! As state of the Pakistani politics is well evident that no educated person wants to get involved himself/herself that is why most parties found dearth of educated people in their lines, therefore, they fielded fake degree holders in their constituencies. Apart of it, Pakistan is not a welfare state where there is free education for all, free meal for all, free health facilities for all, free of security issues and government would take care people’s all basic needs. We live in a third world country where we have to pay the tax for the most basic necessity to live, Water, tax for daily consumption. In an article published in Daily Dawn dated 24-02-2011 (by Asghar Soomro) with the title ‘Why short term remedies’, he referred a report published by a Lahore based NGO which I feel like to share:

It is pertinent to refer here to a Lahore-based NGO’s Annual Status of Education Report Pakistan 2010. The report indicates a higher rate (25.3) of tuition for students of private schools as compared to those in government schools (9.7 per cent). Private schools tend to fleece parents under one pretext or another. At the time of the final decision regarding the future of those schools one hopes all these factors are taken into consideration and parents are not left to the mercy of the entrepreneurs.

The dictator Gen (R) Pervez Musharraf who tampered with the civil services rules, may be in good faith, confessed in an interview with Jasmine aired by Samma TV that he failed to bring about reforms which he intended to. He particularly mentioned his failure to devolve power to grass root level and couldn’t fully cooked the recipe to the taste of general public. Hence his reforms turned out to be the half backed cake that is why government is reverting back to old commissioner system. Government argues that the Local body system has miserably failed to deliver as to what it was deemed in the past, consequently lot of troubles followed e.g. one of the biggest is profiteering at the grass root level. There are also some other administrative issues circumscribing this system. If the architect of this system himself confessing that it is now a half baked cake then why to cling with this piece of raw commodity. It is requested to either transit wholly or scrub its vestiges out of the country. If the system is being reverted back to old style then all scheme has to be restructured.

Many times FPSC has tried to draw the government’s attention towards the deteriorating state of education system which is portrayed in all FPSC’s, KPPSC’s and other boards’ annual reports but all ranting, raving and lamenting have fallen on government’s deaf ears. It is hard to make people understand the benefits of reform when their benefits are associated with not understanding and sticking to their rot. All the time FPSC chairman called on the President and Prime Minister and told about the lack of interest and capability of general  public towards the civil services but their meeting can be summarized as ‘they met, wept and left’, no result at all.

HEC is trying to make our higher education system abreast with international education system but our requirements are that of primitive type. Listen to US president’s first speech to State of the Union in which he announced the waiver of education loan to 50% if the borrower joins public service. And here in our land of pure people are restricted to even take the exam to prove their competency. Our Prime Minister wants young people to run the state affairs while allowing the oldies to stay in their office even after retirement by bestowing on them extended contracts. The pretext behind their extension is the dearth of mature and capable people required to run the sophisticated and strategic positions.

All aspirants request Prime Minister and President of Pakistan to please consider candidates demand and decide in favor of the will of public- Please FPSC, PRESIDENT AND PRIME MINISTER ENHANCE AGE AND ACADEMIC QUALIFICATION CRITERIA; 16 YEARS OF EDUCATION AND 35 YEARS OF GENERAL AGE RELAXATION.

Salus Populi Suprema lex                 (Welfare of the People is the Supreme Law)

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