ISLAMABAD - In the recently conducted tests for the recruitment of lecturers in various fields, the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) ignored all the practices and rules adopted at the national and international level to facilitate visually impaired persons that caused humiliation and inconvenience to them. According to information, the Punjab government had announced seats in various fields while 342 posts of lecturers were announced in the discipline of English for which the PPSC conducted tests from September 23 to October 3. Three centres were established in different cities of Punjab for the tests. But in all the three centres proper arrangements were not made for the visually impaired persons to facilitate them to take tests in a relaxed atmosphere that caused inconvenience due to inappropriate arrangements. The candidates were not allowed to choose their helping writers, according to usual practice, rather the helping writers were imposed by the commission on them who were not able to read out a single sentence properly. Usually the helping writer is appointed with the mutual coordination between the examination administration and the candidate. The helping writer is usually a one-step junior student from the visually impaired candidate and he or she must be able to read the question properly and write correctly the answers dictated by the candidate as his mistake or carelessness may fail the candidate in the exams. The candidates were also not allowed to avail some extra time that is a usual practice because solving the paper with the help of a helping writer is more time consuming than for the normal candidates. They were also asked to sit with the normal candidates and separate arrangements were not made for them that caused disturbance for them and for the normal candidates as well. A visually impaired candidate who took his test in a centre established in Rawalpindi wishing not to be named lamented, The helping writers arranged by the PPSC were totally unaware of even pronouncing the English words. It is my personal experience. So I know and feel the agony of all other visually impaired candidates. I was in the same hall where other candidates were taking their test. It was also problematic because the helping writer was bound to speak out the questions in very low voice. Another candidate who went through the same experience explained, It was a horrible job to listen to the broken sentences and taking sense of right words out of totally wrong pronunciation and dictating the right answer to the helping writer. Who knows and guarantees that such helping writers thoroughly solved the question paper according to the dictation by visually impaired candidates. They said that they did not demand extra privileges or wanted people to take pity on them or show extra care for them for no reason instead they must be accepted as normal citizens or individuals and be given opportunities to prove their extraordinary skills, abilities, expertise and capabilities. They appealed to the Punjab government to bring reforms in the test and exam system for the visually impaired people for providing them with opportunities to prove their mettle as successful and fruitful individuals and citizens. They also requested to arrange another test for the visually impaired persons after reforms. The point of view of PPSC could not be taken despite repeated calls at the official numbers of the office.