PU students excelled in CSS exams in last two years

ISLAMABAD: Students of Punjab University, Lahore, topped in passing the Central Superior Services (CSS) competitive examination and bagged most jobs in Pakistan's civil services in the last two years.

The News has confirmed from official data that candidates from Punjab University stood number one in bagging posts in the civil services after appearing for CSS exams in years 2018 and 2019. Interestingly, the data available with The News also shows that candidates appearing from foreign universities including Cambridge University, London School of Economics and Political Science and Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) fell much behind in passing the exam as compared with candidates from local universities of Pakistan.

The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), in its latest report, has also raised concern over the declining standard of education and recommended measures and policies to the government to improve it. The latest annual report 2019 of the FPSC listed universities, both private and public from across the world, from where a total of 14,521 candidates appeared for CSS exams. However, 372 of them passed the exam and only 214 were allocated posts in the Pakistan civil services.

The data also unfolds the percentage of jobs given to candidates from foreign universities and institutions, who appeared in the 2019 exam. According to the data, candidates from 77 public universities, 61 private and 40 foreign universities, participated in the 2019 exam. However, only 4pc of the allocations were made for foreign university candidates out of the total selections. Whereas, 73pc of the total allocations were made for public university candidates while 23pc were given jobs from private universities of Pakistan.

A total of 27 candidates from Punjab University were allocated posts in the civil services in each year in 2019 and 2018, which were the highest in both years, according to the FPSC report. LUMS, Lahore, was second for allocation of candidates in the 2019 exam. A total of 182 candidates appeared for the exam from LUMS out of which 24 bagged positions in the civil services in 2019. UET, Lahore, came in third, with 18 allocated posts, followed by NUST with 16 allocations.

As for year 2018, the FPSC report shows that after Punjab University, students of NUST managed second most allocations in the civil services out of all Pakistani universities as well as foreign institutions. The number of candidates, who were allocated civil services jobs from NUST, stood at 23 for 2018. LUMS and UET Lahore were third with 19 allocations each.

In addition, candidates from top foreign universities, who participated in the 2019 exam, fell much behind than the students from local universities. Twenty-two candidates from Cambridge University, UK, appeared for the 2019 exam and all of them failed. In 2018, 12 candidates had participated from the same university and only one managed to pass the exam. Only one candidate, out of 66, from University of London was allocated a post in the civil services in 2019. In the same year, one candidate from Oxford Brookes University (UK), one from Georgetown University (USA) and one from University of Warwick (UK) were allocated jobs out of dozens who appeared for the exam.

Whereas, despite numerous appearances, not a single candidate from University of Birmingham (UK), London School of Economics and Political Science, Kings College (London), Imperial College (London), Glasgow Caledonian University (Scotland), University of Huddersfield (England), Cornell University (USA), Georgia Institute of Technology (USA), Denison University (USA), Queen Mary University London, University of Bradford (UK) and University of Manchester (UK) was allocated a job.

Further, the 2019 report also observed that the decline in the standard of education was a cause of concern. "There is an increasing trend of reliance on substandard material and guide books rather than original material, research and creative thinking. It requires intense research, analysis and a comprehensive plan to focus on qualitative improvement in education at all levels," the report added. It said concrete measures were needed to enhance the quality of education and language proficiency of the candidates. The commission had also invited the attention of the policymakers to take appropriate measures so that minorities and women take full advantage of the seats reserved for them.