UPPSC bows to pressure, reverts to single-shift exams amid student protests

Prayagraj: After four days of intense protests by several thousand students, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has decided to roll back its earlier plan to conduct the PCS (Provincial Civil Services) preliminary exams over two shifts, now agreeing to hold the exam in a single day, following the traditional one-shift pattern.

The announcement brought relief to thousands of candidates who had gathered outside the UPPSC office in Prayagraj, demanding a return to the old format due to fears over inconsistencies in the proposed normalisation process. The Review Officer/Assistant Review Officer (RO/ARO) exam, scheduled for December 22-23, has also been deferred, with UPPSC setting up a special committee to evaluate fair practices for this exam.

UPPSC Secretary Ashok Kumar emerged from the commission office on Thursday to address the students, declaring, “The preliminary examination will be conducted in one shift. As for the RO/ARO Examination-2023, a committee will examine all factors and submit a comprehensive report. We will take a decision on the exam format based on their findings.” His words confirmed that the commission was formally rescinding the two-shift approach for now.

The PCS preliminary exams, originally slated for December 7-8 across 41 districts, will now be held in a single shift, with a new exam date expected soon. Prayagraj District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar affirmed, “The revised date for the PCS exam will be announced by the UPPSC shortly.”

The commission’s initial move to a two-shift exam had been intended to address security issues following recent paper leaks across the country. According to a government spokesperson, the shift was aimed at protecting the integrity of the exams while managing a massive

pool of over 500,000 candidates through secure government centres. However, concerns over the normalisation process, meant to adjust scores for different shifts, sparked

widespread student apprehension.

Aspirants, meanwhile, said they will continue the agitation till a decision is taken on the RO and ARO exams.

“We do not trust this announcement as no official notice has been uploaded on the Commission’s website in this regard,” one of the protesting aspirants said.

Another aspirant said, “Until an official notice is uploaded on the Commission’s website, we will not end our protest. We don’t trust the announcements made through loudspeakers outside the UPPSC office.”

Another aspirant said the government is following “divide and rule” policy and termed it a partial decision so that the PCS Preliminary Exam aspirants leave from here.

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak when contacted said the government will work in the interest of the students and will also stand with them.

“Decisions will be taken in the interest of the students,” he added.

The protests also attracted national attention, with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi condemning the UP government’s response. In a statement on X, he posted, “The treatment of competitive students in Prayagraj by the UP government and UPPSC is both

insensitive and unfortunate. The non-transparent normalisation process is unacceptable, and the demand for a single-shift exam is completely justified. Why should students pay for the failures of a government that is dismantling the education system? These hardworking students, away from their families, are now forced to ‘fight’ on the streets, facing police harassment. We fully support the students’ demands. Their democratic rights cannot be quashed by authoritarian actions.”

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav raised the demand in favour of the students during his Prayagraj visit earlier in the day.

Those who talk of ‘One Nation, One Election’ cannot manage exams on a single day, Yadav said, attacking the BJP government.