Editor,

I would like to place before the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) a humble and urgent appeal on behalf of candidates who are approaching the upper age limit and are aspiring for the post of assistant professor.

For ageing candidates, this recruitment is not just another opportunity - it may be our last opportunity to fulfil a long-cherished professional dream. Many of us have spent years acquiring the necessary qualifications, preparing ourselves academically and waiting for an opportunity to compete for the post. Unfortunately, the recruitment process and the conduct of the interview have taken almost ten years, during which many candidates have naturally moved closer to the upper age limit.

Our concern is particularly serious because ageing candidates may lose this final opportunity not because of a lack of academic qualification or ability, but because of differences in the scoring patterns of the yearly and semester systems. The marks obtained under these two systems are not necessarily comparable, and the difference in their evaluation and calculation may affect the final score card. As a result, otherwise eligible and deserving candidates may fall outside the merit list and may not even get the opportunity to appear before the viva voce board.

For a younger candidate, being unable to make it through one recruitment process may leave open the possibility of trying again. For an ageing candidate approaching the upper age limit, however, there may be no second chance. After waiting for almost a decade, being excluded at this stage because of differences arising from the yearly and semester systems could mean losing the last realistic opportunity to compete for the post.

We therefore humbly appeal to the APPSC to give ageing and otherwise eligible candidates an opportunity to appear for the viva voce, so that their suitability may be assessed directly by the interview board on the basis of their subject knowledge, teaching aptitude, communication skills and overall merit.

We are not asking for an unfair advantage or preferential treatment. We are only seeking one fair opportunity to appear before the interview board. After years of waiting and with the window of opportunity closing rapidly because of age, this chance carries immense significance for us.

We sincerely request the APPSC to kindly consider the special circumstances of ageing candidates, particularly in view of the unusually long recruitment process, and ensure that candidates do not lose what may be their last opportunity merely because of differences in the scoring systems of yearly and semester candidates.

A concerned ageing candidate