In Prayagraj, protesting students have achieved a significant victory as the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has finally conceded to their demands. The UPPSC has decided to postpone both the Public Service Commission and RO/ARO (Review Officer and Assistant Review Officer) exams, and importantly, the PCS exam will now be conducted in a single shift.
The protests, which had been ongoing since Monday, caught the attention of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who intervened and supported the students’ cause. Acting on the Chief Minister’s direction, the UPPSC has now decided to hold the 2024 PCS preliminary exam on a single day and in one shift. Additionally, a committee will be formed to review the RO-ARO exam issue, and it is expected to submit a detailed report soon.
Initially, the UPPSC had planned to hold the PCS Prelims 2024 and the RO-ARO Prelims 2023 exams over two days in two shifts. However, students had been demanding that both exams be held on the same day and in the same shift, as was the practice in previous years. Their concern was that the normalization process could put them at a disadvantage if the exams were held over multiple days.
On November 11th, candidates from across Delhi and Uttar Pradesh took to the streets to protest this decision, with students strongly pushing for a ‘One Day, One Exam’ policy. They also called for the abolition of the normalization system, arguing that it was unfair and could impact their final scores.
Following the announcement that their demands were met, the protesting students declared that they would end their protest. They expressed satisfaction with the decision to form a committee for the RO-ARO exams, although the exam date has not yet been announced.
However, tensions flared on Thursday morning when some protesting candidates were forcibly detained by police, causing chaos. One student alleged that police officers, including those in plain clothes, misbehaved with the women protesters. Earlier, on Wednesday evening, 11 students had been detained for attempting to close coaching libraries in protest.
Why are the students protesting?
Students preparing for competitive exams argue that there have been instances in the PCS exams where incorrect questions were included. Their concern is that if the second shift has more incorrect questions than the first, it will create an unfair disadvantage, as the percentile scores depend on the number of students appearing in each shift. This could potentially lower the marks of candidates who perform well in one shift but are compared with those in the other shift. The students are protesting to ensure a level playing field and fair treatment in the examination process.
It is imperative to note that the protestors are reluctant to completely call off their protests after receiving a ‘verbal assurance’ from the representatives of the UPPSC. The students are waiting for an official written order from the concerned authorities before heading back to their homes.
