By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The combined recruitment in Prasar Bharati for the post of programme executives (PEX) and transmission executives (TREX) examinations 2013 conducted by the Staff Selection Commission in the city here on Sunday gathered much criticism from many job aspirants in the State as the second part of the examination was conducted in Hindi besides other languages not well conversed by the people of this region.
Ironically, the advertisement specified that vacancies for TREX post in Meghalaya was divided into separate categories-5 posts for Khasi, 4 Garo, 1 Jaintia, 1 for English, 1 for Hindi and the essential requirement laid down stated a Bachelor’s degree and proficiency in the language relevant to the vacancy.
However, when the option was given to chose the language best suited for the candidate to give his/her examination, the language specified for the particular posts like Khasi did not find space in the list of languages listed in the option menu except Hindi.
On this the candidates, wondered who would qualify for the post as specified per community. “I wonder how can a non-Khasi speaking individual do justice to his/her job if he or she is chosen for the TREX post in the Khasi category,” a candidate told this scribe here after giving her examination on Sunday afternoon.
Not denying the fact that the Khasi language is yet to find space in the 8th schedule, she said “If Prasar Bharati has specifically mentioned North Eastern region, I hope by now after serving for many decades, they should have known that the common mode of conversation in the region is English.”
“If only Khasi was an eighth schedule language then we would not have to throw away 100 marks,” she said, adding, “I wonder if anyone is serious enough to start a campaign to get our language included in the eighth schedule.” Even if this is not immediately possible, provisions should have been made considering that Meghalaya is a State where the official language is English.
Another worried candidate came out of the examination hall with a dismal look on his face said “We were supposed to score at least pass marks in the second paper but we are helpless as the medium for the examination was Hindi.”
“So much talk have been going on about improving the employment sector in the State but I wonder why our leaders are not taking this issue with the higher ups because at the end of the day, the people who will qualify are not going to be north easterners but someone else from other states who know less or probably nothing about the north east,” he added.
“The selection process has been done in an unfair manner as most of us from the North East are not proficient in Hindi. We can barely speak leave alone read or write.”
“I wonder why no one intervenes in such matter which affects the future of thousands of educated north easterners”, another candidate echoed similar views.
The examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) was divided into two parts-Paper I (either in English or Hindi) and Paper II (either in Hindi or any other eighth schedule language in case English has been chosen as the medium for Paper I).
Echoing similar sentiments, two Manipuri youths felt that the examination was just a sham to fill the vacant posts while the deserving candidates never stood a chance right from the start.
“We are from Manipur and Manipuri language was allowed as a medium, but unfortunately we do not know the language as we are Manipuri Nagas. So we too have had to leave the second paper blank due to the same problem,” they said.
Almost all tribal candidates who came out of the campus of St Mary’s College on Sunday while expressing a feeling of dejection and dismay said “We did approach Prasar Bharati higher ups who verbally promised to help us in the matter but all the assurance end up in the drain and nothing was done from their side to voice out our grievances to the main heads in Delhi.”