Editor,

I wish to draw the attention of the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) to a serious concern regarding the proposed FAO/STO recruitment test (RT).

By making commercial mathematics the sole criterion for the recruitment test, the commission appears to have overlooked that candidates with a mathematics background are also eligible for these posts. Such a pattern will inevitably favour them. The commission should remember that commercial mathematics is one component of the FAO/STO syllabus, not the component. Making it the sole basis of selection criteria in RT is neither balanced nor fair.

The duties of FAO/STO require knowledge of commerce, economics, accounting, finance, statistics and general awareness. Therefore, the recruitment test should assess candidates comprehensively, instead of allowing one subject to determine merit in RT. Commercial mathematics should be combined with general awareness to ensure a balanced evaluation and equal opportunity for candidates from different academic backgrounds.

While a common examination for multiple technical posts may provide administrative and logistical convenience to the commission, such convenience should not come at the cost of fairness and equal opportunity. The commission exists to serve aspirants by conducting balanced, transparent, and merit-based recruitment, not merely to simplify the examination process.

The APPSC is therefore earnestly requested to reconsider the proposed pattern and adopt a balanced recruitment test that evaluates the overall suitability of candidates, rather than solely emphasising a single subject.

A concerned FAO/STO aspirant