Team Herald
PANJIM: The Directorate of Accounts is mulling over approaching the State government with a proposal to re-evaluate the answer sheet of all the 8000 candidates, who failed to clear the initial recruitment examination for the post of accounts. The department will also consider with the government the plans over releasing the answer sheet and marks through their official website.
The department has decided to re-advertise the post by initiating a fresh process; however, declines to give any assurance that these 8,000 candidates would be given priority while applying for the post.
Not a single candidate amongst 8000, who answered for the post of accountant (direct recruits) , cleared the written examination held on January 7. The department had advertised for the post of 80 accountants in the Common Account Cadre in October, last year.
Accusing government of making a mockery of the recruitment process, Congress party on Thursday gheraoed Director of Accounts Prakash Pereira demanding that the answer sheets be re-evaluated through Goa University instead of Goa Board, who had set the papers and the current and re-evaluated sheets, be released to the candidates.
Congress delegation led by its North Goa Block President Amarnath Panjikar said that allowing Goa Board, whose mandate is up to class XII to conduct the examination process including scrutiny, was a “joke’ on the part of government. “It was a total faulty process adopted by the department. How can teachers or staff, whose eligibility is up to class XII, can set papers for candidates who are graduate, post graduate, Chartered accountants, etc,” he questioned.
While demanding re-examination, Panjikar demanded that there should be relaxation in the passing percentage. Replying to the Congress delegation and to the media, Director Accounts Prakash Pereira said that the Goa Board had set the exam paper based on the syllabus prescribed by the accounts department. “This is a competitive exam we had for recruiting fresh accountants and the selected candidates are then trained to handle day-to-day work,” he explained.
Pereira said that department will move a proposal to the government for re-evaluating the answer-sheets and also making them public through our website. “These decisions we cannot take alone. We have to consult the government,” he stated.
Director also said that re-advertisement would be issued for filling up 100 accountant post by initiating fresh process in next two-three months. The political parties like Congress, AAP and shiv sena have expressed their anguish over the recruitment process.
The duration of written examination held in January was for five hours, which was divided into two parts- three hours for 100 marks paper on English and general knowledge with passing marks as 50. The second part was 50 marks paper on mathematics, 20 marks on economics and 30 marks on bookkeeping and accounting. The passing marks here were 60. The passing candidates were supposed to go through for a oral interview.
