Background of the Protests
Thousands of aspiring candidates protested outside the UPPSC office in Prayagraj as the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission recently announced the new exam schedule for the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) and Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) exams. The current concern among the students by this decision that has been taken by the UPPSC to conduct these exams over multiple days and shifts is the reason for the protests that thousands of aspiring candidates have expressed against the decision.
Details of the New Exam Schedule
The preliminary PCS exams of UPPSC are going to be held in two shifts on 7 and 8 December 2024. But the RO and ARO preliminary examinations are scheduled for three shifts on 22 and 23 December 2024. Many students find this system quite anxiety-provoking and rather frustrating as they feel it complicates their preparation and creates unnecessary confusion.
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Demands of the Protestors
The protesting students' demand is quite simple: they want all exams on the same day and at one shift, rather like what it was always during the previous times. Student leader Ankit Patel of the protest points out that a return to the shift system alone is necessary for maintaining an equality. Manorama Singh of the protesting students said, "This decision of the UPPSC violated norms because the official notification did not say that the exam will be held over two days."
Response from UPPSC
As a response, the chairman of UPPSC commented generally about their key objectives: To ensure candidates' ease and protect against any form of malpractice. According to the spokesperson, such a large number of candidates—over 500,000—means that it is just not feasible for exams to continue in a single shift on a day. They further justified that the exam taking place over different days would demand normalization at the time of marking. More importantly, they placed credence on Supreme Court's guidelines by the Radhakrishnan Committee for conducting examinations in multiple shifts to ensure fairness and integrity. This, however, does not keep anyone calm amidst the students.
Continuing Tensions
Despite all efforts by the authority persons to prolong ties with the protesters, the situation remains tense. The students have been frustrated by the alleged lack of adequate communication regarding the exam schedule by UPPSC. Many argue that such a huge change should have occurred much earlier and not a month before the exams. The protests have not only received attention for their scale but also for the passionate commitment of the students who seem to be very focused on making sure that their demand is met. And indeed, students remain relentless outside the UPPSC office, demanding a single date for the exams.
With inputs from agencies
Image Source: Multiple agencies
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