Kerala PSC recruitment row escalates: Candidates allege nepotism in DIET exams following Planning Board debacle

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Job aspirants have raised serious allegations of nepotism and manipulation against the Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) over the compilation of rank lists for District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) lecturer positions. This fresh controversy comes amid an ongoing row regarding irregularities in rank lists compiled for the State Planning Board.

According to complaints lodged by the aspirants, the rank lists published by the PSC this past April for 47 gazetted posts—spanning categories 349/2022 to 396/2022—were manipulated to favor members and associates of the Left-leaning teachers' union, the Kerala School Teachers’ Association (KSTA). Aspirants pointed out that seven State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) research officers, including prominent state leaders of the KSTA, secured top positions on the lists, suggesting this outcome was not coincidental. Out of the 704 candidates included across these various DIET lecturer rank lists, 249 individuals reportedly appear multiple times across different lists.

Allegations of question paper leaks and evaluation bias

The candidates further alleged that a training session had been conducted at the University of Calicut for specific examinees prior to the test. They suspected that those who provided the coaching, or individuals close to them, were responsible for preparing the PSC question paper. Over 80 percent of the candidates who attended this coaching session secured placements on the rank lists and have subsequently entered service in various DIET institutions.

PSC has not published an answer key because the examination consisted of descriptive questions. Despite repeated requests from candidates, the commission has refused to release it, maintaining the stance that evaluation in descriptive exams allows for subjective marking and therefore does not require the publication of an answer key.

Appointments to these positions are filled through a 50:50 ratio divided between direct recruitment and by-transfer appointments for teachers holding an M.Ed. qualification. The complainants alleged that the bulk of the irregularities transpired within the by-transfer recruitment process.

Demands for government investigation

Specific allegations of qualification bypass have also emerged. Candidates pointed out that the PSC adopted a highly lenient approach toward a state leader of the Left teachers' union who lacked the mandatory qualifications prescribed in the special rules. This individual reportedly secured a spot on the rank list and has already joined the service.

Furthermore, it is alleged that the University of Calicut issued special eligibility certificates to certain candidates who had earned their M.Ed. degrees from the university but otherwise lacked the strict criteria stipulated in the official DIET notification. The aggrieved aspirants have urged the state government to include these specific anomalies and the role of the university within the scope of an official investigation.