‘I am 30 years old. For five years, I have been preparing for all JPSC-JSSC examinations. I don’t understand what will happen to me. Firstly, exams are not held on time in Jharkhand. If an exam is held, fraud comes to light.
The fear of my age running out has started to haunt me. I come from a farmer’s family. I do small jobs so that I can fill out exam forms. I don’t understand if I will get a job now or not.’
This is what Ravi, who came from Koderma to join the protest, said. Most of the thousands of youths who came from across the state to gherao the assembly in Ranchi have a similar story. Many students said – the day passes in studying, group study, mock tests, but when I reach home at night, I cannot meet my parents’ gaze. My parents’ eyes are such that it’s as if they want to ask, ‘When will you get a job?’
Before reading the students’ stories, see the pictures of the assembly gherao….
Students from across the state surrounded the assembly.
Thousands of students who arrived chanted slogans loudly during the protest.
Barricades were set up with barbed wire to prevent students from reaching the assembly.
Students also protested in various costumes during the siege.
9 years passed preparing, but didn’t get a job
Gorelal from Koderma, who came to join the protest, says that he has been preparing for JPSC and JSSC exams since 2017. So far, he has appeared for two JPSC exams. These include the 7th to 10th and 11th to 14th Civil Services Examinations. Additionally, he has also taken the JSSC CGL exam. However, there hasn’t been a single exam that wasn’t marred by allegations of malpractice. This is why I am unable to get selected.
Gorelal said that they do self-study and group study at home. Despite this, about 1000 to 1200 rupees are spent every month on buying study material, magazines, etc. On one hand, there is a financial burden, and on the other hand, they are also facing social and mental stress.
We want every exam to be investigated. Since 2020, irregularities of some kind have come to light in all the exams that have been conducted. Now age is also increasing, and they have crossed 30 years of age. Given the pace of government job provision in the state, the hope of getting a job is now fading.
How Many Demands of the Students Were Met?
| Students’ Demand | Government’s Stance | Status / Outcome |
| Cancel 14th JPSC | PT (Preliminary Test) cancelled | Met |
| Conduct a CBI probe | Ready for CID/ED probe | Pending |
| Cancel CGL exam | Ready for an inquiry by a retired judge | Pending |
| Cancel exams conducted by TDPL agency | Cancelled | Met |
| Complete probe into exam scams within 90 days | CID will conduct the probe | Met |
| Cancel JPSC backlog exams 2023 and 2025 | Exams cancelled | Met |
Irregularities occur in every competitive exam in Jharkhand
Rishabh, who came from Godda to join the movement, said that he has been preparing for competitive exams for the last four years. During this period, he has appeared in more than six exams. After taking the exam, when the cutoff was released, he would immediately know that there was some malpractice in the exam. Now he feels like giving up everything and not taking any exams at all. He is starting to feel disheartened.
Rishabh says that now he is afraid to go to his parents. Preparing for exams has started to feel like a burden. His father works in a private job. To cover the expenses of exam preparation, he teaches tuition to children.
The government should conduct exams even for 500 posts, but it should do so properly. At least the exam should be genuine. Here, dishonesty has reached its peak.
During the protest, students were holding various types of posters in their hands.
My mental state has become such that I have to cry myself to sleep every night.
Sanoj Mandal, who came from Mahagama, says that exams here are not conducted on time and properly. If we talk about JSSC-CGL, its syllabus is such that you cannot prepare for any other exam. He has been preparing for competitive exams since completing his graduation. For the last six years, he has been solely focused on preparing for JSSC exams.
If the exam were conducted fairly, he could be a ranker. Recently, he took the Field Worker exam, in which he scored 82 percent marks, but despite that, he could not get selected.
I have appeared in almost all JSSC examinations. Now my mental state has become such that I have to sleep crying every night. Our father is a farmer, while my elder brother does a private job. It is only with the help of my elder brother that I have been able to prepare for the exams until now.
