By Tenzin Dharpo
Dharamsala, July 30: The Public Service Commission of the exile Tibetan government (Central Tibetan Administration) which is responsible for the recruitment of staff and their training yesterday held interview for Tibetan youth aspiring to join the Central Tibetan Administration’s civil services.
The Public Service Commission made it mandatory to appear for accountancy as a subject of test for all the candidates, with or without commerce background, in 2012 during the present Kashag which had recommended it to the PSC, an autonomous body within the administration. The inclusion of accountancy as a mandatory exam besides the language aptitude tests of English and Tibetan and an interview to be accumulatively graded has produced a mixed reaction from the candidates.
The PSC regularly holds training camps at the new Tibetan Reception Centre for Tibetan civil service aspirants who are given coaching classes including accountancy before the actual exams. Around 80 candidates today appeared for English and Tibetan written tests and will give accounts exam tomorrow for 22 seats of Office Assistant and Senior Clerk in the CTA.
Although the policy had been introduced more than 2 years ago, the repercussions, good and bad, have had candidates from the last three batches of examinees expressing different opinions on the matter.
Ngawang Norbu, a graduate from Loyola College in Chennai told Phayul, “I think the training at Sarah college is a good opportunity provided by the CTA as it is devised to make a particular candidate well versed in basic accountancy which is a pre-requisite these days for a more efficient human resource. I am thankful for this initiative”. However, the training facility covers only a select group of candidates who have passed a preliminary selection process. The rest have to fend for themselves and learn the subject anew if they are not a commerce student.
“I am sure the motivation behind this initiative is to empower us but I am not sure this (accountancy) is the right subject. Political science or social service education seems more relevant to us. It is quite difficult to learn a new subject, more so without help and not knowing whether I will be given a placement in a capacity related to accounts if selected”, said a Tibetan who had appeared in the PSC exam in the past.
A former official in the Tibetan administration, who did not want to be named, says this is a bit unfair for people who have not studied commerce in school or colleges and also self – hindering. “If CTA requires officials with accounts expertise it should create separate exams like the Auditor General’s office did several years ago to recruit auditors who were all with accounts background and who are now holding senior positions in OAG. This policy in fact harms the CTA because a candidate who excels in another field or subject might be discouraged or not even get through because of this requirement.”
The PSC and the Kashag aim to make all Tibetan civil servants capable of managing accounts in preparation for certain postings which might demand knowledge of accountancy.
The Charter allows the PSC to amend recruitment rules without the approval of the Tibetan parliament, unlike other matters like salary, leave and pension etc.
Despite several attempts to reach the PSC for comment, nobody from the office could speak to Phayul citing busy schedule and ongoing recruitment exams.
