Jharkhand needs intensive efforts in skill development for its unemployed youths for two reasons. One, several Government departments are acutely short-staffed. Two, around 30 per cent (source: State Census Office) of the total population is in the employable age, but a huge number is unemployed.
And here comes the shocker! The State Government’s efforts to provide employment to youths and, in the process, address the staff crunch, seem to be bearing no fruits. At least this is what is evident from the results of the recruitment examination for the post of stenographer and lower division clerks (lDC). The examinations for filling up 383 posts of stenographers and 372 posts of lDCs were conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) in May. The results were announced on Monday. And it was nothing short of a disaster.
While only one candidate (Kamlesh Kumar Singh, roll number 240275) could qualify for the criteria set for stenographers, only 22 could fulfil criteria for lDC. But why did this happenIJ Were the questions difficultIJ Is it because of some mistake on part of the evaluatorsIJ Were the criteria set by JSSC too toughIJ JSSC chairman CR Sahay categorically denied any mistake on their part. “We are ready to reply to any query, under the Right to Information. We will show the copies to the candidates if they come through the RTI channel. I even invite the mediapersons to see answersheets. JSSC could have even put the copies online, but there are some practical problems,” he said.
“The actual problem,” according to Sahay, “lies with the students themselves. They have very poor skills of typing dictation. Even at the exam centres, they brazenly told me, ‘You won’t be able to get any staff from among us’.” Nonetheless, the JSSC chairman denied any plans of cancelling the examinations. Asked about the date for recruitment against the vacancies, he said the personnel department would take the call on that.
A counsellor at one of the many SSC coaching centres in the State agrees with Sahay. “Very few students are serious about preparing for these examinations. As for students’ skills, you are bound to be disappointed. There is an urgent need for initiating steps at the Government level to begin skill development programmes,” the counsellor said. The Jharkhand Government had, on November 15, 2012 — Foundation Day —announced 2013 the ‘Year of Youth Skill Development’. “The present Government should not forget the fantastic announcement of Arjun Munda, the then Chief Minister. A sustainable skill development programme must be initiated,” the counsellor pointed out.