Maharashtra: MPSC aspirants protest, seek implementation of descriptive exam pattern from 2025

PUNE: Several students preparing for the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) exams staged a protest in Pune on Friday seeking implementation of the new descriptive pattern from 2025 instead of the current year. In June last year, some changes, including moving to a descriptive pattern from objective type, were announced for Mains exams by MPSC, which upset a group of students.

"Our demand is the descriptive pattern should be implemented from 2025 instead of 2023 because students will need some time to prepare for the new syllabus," said an agitating student. "We are not objecting to the new pattern but only want it to be implemented from 2025. We do not have enough time to prepare for the exam as per the new pattern and new syllabus," said another student.

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In July 2022, the MPSC issued a statement claiming some self-proclaimed organizations and private classes were driving a campaign to pressure the commission to implement the new syllabus from 2025 instead of 2023. No cognisance of such pressure would be taken and the Pre and Main exams in 2023 will be conducted as per the new pattern and syllabus, the MPSC statements had asserted.

Asked about the agitation by students, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the new pattern was recommended by the Dalvi Committee that was formed by the previous government. "Somewhere down the line, we have to implement the syllabus on the line of UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). Today, these students are asking to implement it from 2025 but the students in 2025 would demand to defer it to 2027. We cannot do this. We have to ensure quality," he said. An appropriate decision in the interest of students will be taken after detailed consultations, he added. Similar protests were also held in Kolhapur, Nagpur and Aurangabad.