National Testing Service (NTS) of Pakistan has been functional for the last many years to assess the educated Pakistani youths for various jobs in various provincially and federally-administered public departments. It is perhaps the most reliable organization that tests and then lists the most knowledgeable ones in terms of marks/scores in a specific discipline of knowledge; in case of continuation of erstwhile pre-NTS period, gates of corruption, favoritism, and out-of-merit appointments in departments, and other public sectors would have continued to remain open. In various departments, before the introduction, and implementation of NTS, in most cases the most incompetent ones got jobs either for political, high-status, or bribe reasons. They were otherwise incompetent, and who were not qualified; they, in case of teachers, could not spell simple words of English in correct English. 

Lately, we have been noticing the induction of fresh competent youths via NTS into various departments like education as teachers, monitors, computer operators, or as public servants of various other designations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province. If there are certain departments, using their own age-old system of examination and interview for provision of jobs to the unemployed youths, they be emphatically directed to adopt the NTS. 

Jobs of various designations via the NTS go to the competent, and the rightful ones. This writer’s own two daughters, after qualifying ETEA, and NTS, and having achieved a position in first three or four top slots in the merit lists got their jobs in the education department only and only for their sole reason of competence. Otherwise, who could have paid upto 10 lakhs for both of the jobs appointments as a bribe? 

MOHAMMAD FAYYAZ,  Charsadda, March 24.