By Ummar Jamal
The Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) has got another feather in its cap by yet again successfully releasing grossly and blatantly erroneous answer keys. This time the dust settles on the Finance Accountant Assistant examination, a familiar sense of disappointment and frustration lingers in the air. The release of answer keys, meant to provide clarity and closure, instead reveals a troubling pattern of errors and inaccuracies. This is not an isolated occurrence but rather part of a pattern that has become all too familiar for candidates appearing in the competitive government exams in J&K.
In the latest examination conducted by JKSSB for the Finance Accountant Assistant aspirants, the candidates after appearing in the examination were left perplexed and dismayed upon reviewing the answer keys.
Discrepancies identified are multifarious, with several questions featuring correct questions with wrong answers, accurate questions with incorrect options, and troublingly, instances where both questions and options are erroneous. Some questions have ambiguous wording leading to confusion among test-takers. In some cases, questions and answers are correct but their answer keys are wrong. These inconsistencies undermine trust and demand urgent rectification to ensure fair assessments for aspirants.
Such oversights not only undermine the integrity of the examination process but also raise serious doubts about the competency and diligence of the board responsible for administering these crucial assessments.
What is particularly alarming is that this is not the first instance of JKSSB facing criticism for faulty answer keys or other irregularities. In fact, it has become somewhat of a recurring issue, with past examinations also marred by similar irregularities. Despite assurances of improved procedures and greater attention to detail, the board seems to have become accustomed to these blunders, failing to address the underlying systemic issues that perpetuate such errors.
Last year, in the same way, the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS) prelims answer keys were marred with discrepancies. Following the release of the answer key, candidates raised objections citing numerous inaccuracies and inconsistencies. However, their grievances were met with an unsatisfactory response from the commission, forcing some aspirants to resort to legal action by approaching the courts for redressal.
The painstaking efforts invested in rigorous preparation, often spanning months or even years, are met with frustration and despair upon encountering faulty answer keys. For many, the prospect of achieving their career aspirations becomes increasingly elusive, leading to feelings of disillusionment, anxiety, and self-doubt. The psychological burden of navigating through successive disappointments takes a toll on their mental health and overall well-being
The recurrence of these incidents not only erodes the trust and confidence of aspirants in the fairness of the examination process but also casts a shadow of doubt on the credibility of the institutions entrusted with conducting these assessments. For candidates who invest considerable time, effort, and resources in preparing for these competitive exams, such setbacks can have far-reaching consequences, potentially derailing their career aspirations and causing undue stress and anxiety.
Is this what the youth of J&K deserve? Being an aspirant for a government job in Kashmir is now a sort of an expletive. Such scams, wrong answer keys, inefficient and embarrassing recruitment cycles have made a joke out of the competent aspirants from J&K. Studies, reports, policies and promises are released but an aspirant from J&K continues to remain a mere data point – one among the xyz percentage of unemployed youth.
The joke is on the recruitment agencies who refuse to look at the ABCs. Aspirants assemble at their offices exam after exam, making senior officials sit down, opening NCERTs after NCERTs and reminding them of the school lessons that they seemed to have skipped. There’s only one right answer and it is not supposed to be decided by JKSSB’s obstinacy.
In addition to the immediate impact on individual candidates, the persistent failure of exam conducting bodies to ensure transparency reflects poorly on the overall governance and accountability framework governing recruitment processes in Jammu and Kashmir. It underscores the urgent need for greater transparency, oversight, and accountability measures to be instituted to prevent such lapses from recurring in the future.
In the competitive examinations, where every fraction of a point can tip the scales of success, the accuracy of answer keys holds immense significance. However, the journey from challenging an incorrect answer key to achieving rectification is often fraught with obstacles. When students approach the board or JKPSC with well-researched representations, as they did it JKAS prelims exams last year, pointing out specific errors and providing clear evidence, the expectation is for transparency and rectification. Yet, the reality often falls short, with boards displaying an alarming reluctance to correct their mistakes, thereby jeopardizing the principles of meritocracy.
Upon the release of answer keys by exam conducting bodies, it is not uncommon for aspirants to meticulously scrutinize them. Armed with their knowledge and diligent preparation, students often identify discrepancies where questions have been erroneously marked. With utmost clarity, they present their representations to the board, outlining precisely how and why certain questions have been incorrectly assessed. However, despite presenting their case in a crystal-clear manner, backed by compelling evidence, the response from the board can be dishearteningly
This not only breeds disillusionment among aspirants but also perpetuates a culture of distrust in institutions responsible for conducting examinations and facilitating recruitment. JKSSB prioritizes obstinacy over meritocracy. By prioritizing obstinacy over meritocracy, JKSSB not only fails its duty to ensure a level playing field for all aspirants but also erodes the trust and confidence of stakeholders in the integrity of the recruitment process.
Moving forward, it is imperative that JKSSB and other exam conducting authorities in the region take proactive steps to address these systemic deficiencies and restore the already lost faith in the integrity of the recruitment process. This includes implementing robust quality assurance mechanisms, conducting thorough reviews of answer keys prior to their release. There needs to be greater engagement and collaboration between exam conducting bodies, academic experts, and stakeholders to ensure that question papers are meticulously crafted and thoroughly vetted to minimize the risk of errors and ambiguities.
Much water has flown down the Jhelum , now it is imperative that corrective measures are implemented expeditiously to prevent such lapses from recurring and uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability in the recruitment process in J&K.
The Governor of J&K has spent the past few errors fixing the recruitment cycles and holding agencies accountable, yet their standards remain ever abysmal. Imagine being an aspirant in a state where wrong answers get you the right jobs.
Views expressed in the article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial stance of Kashmir Observer
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