SSC multitasking (non-technical) staff exam to be conducted in 13 regional languages as well: Jitendra Singh

NEW DELHI: In a landmark decision, the Centre has approved conduct of the Staff Selection Commission multitasking (non-technical) staff examination in 13 regional languages in addition to Hindi and English, Union Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday. There have been persistent demands from different states, particularly from southern India, to hold SSC examinations in languages other than English and Hindi.

The decision will result in lakhs of aspirants taking part in the examination in their mother tongue/regional language and improve their selection prospects, according to a Personnel Ministry statement. Singh said the action is in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision to ensure that everyone gets an equal opportunity to apply for jobs and that no one is disenfranchised or placed at a disadvantage because of a language barrier.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) approved conduct of the Staff Selection Commission Multitasking (Non-Technical) Staff (SSC MTS) examination, 2022 and Combined Higher Secondary Level Examination (CHSLE), 2022 in 13 regional languages in addition to Hindi and English, Singh said. Besides Hindi and English, the question paper will be set in the 13 regional languages -- Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi, Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Odia, Urdu, Punjabi, Manipuri (also Meiti) and Konkani, according to the statement.

The minister said the MTS 2022 exam notice has received positive response amongst the candidates especially belonging to South India and also on social media. Singh said that governments of states and Union territories are expected to launch a campaign encouraging local youths to use this opportunity of taking the examination in their mother tongue and participate in huge numbers to make a career serving the country. He said that attempts are being made to eventually incorporate all of the languages listed in the Constitution's Eighth Schedule.

Singh said that SSC continually works to ensure that all segments of the people have an equal opportunity to succeed in order to eliminate regional inequities and realise the Constitution's principles while also recognising and valuing our nation's linguistic variety.

The first exam in multi-language (MTS 2022) will commence from May 2, the statement said. There had been persistent demands from different states to hold SSC exams in languages other than English and Hindi. The government appointed an expert committee to look at this aspect too amongst other things -- review of scheme and syllabus of examinations conducted by the commission. The expert committee in its report had inter-alia recommended:

“Study of posts of SSC especially Group ‘C’ post indicates that these posts are at cutting edge of government-citizen interaction. India being a country where multiple languages are spoken, it would be in fitness of things to conduct 12th and 10th exam in multi languages".

"To begin with SSC can start with 14 languages as used by Railway Recruitment Boards (RRBs)/ Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) in their exams and gradually increase to include all the languages mentioned in Schedule VIII of the Constitution," the report said.

The government accepted this recommendation of the expert committee and asked SSC to work out the modalities. To start with the commission has decided to conduct MTS examination, 2022 and CHSLE examination, 2022 in 15 languages as used by IBPS/ RRBs for conducting their examination, the statement said. The notice of MTS exam has already been issued. Notice for CHSL exam in multi-language will be issued in May-June 2023, the statement added.