Solved Exercise for Precis writing “Recruitment by Open Competition” for Class 10, Class 12 and Graduation and other classes.

The introduction of the principle of open competition for the recruitment of official was an important event in the history of political development. Yet it is a principle that is not always clearly understood. It is widely held – and the view receives constant endorsement from well-known authorities on administrative matters-that open competition sets out to ensure the selection of the best available individuals for the public services, and consequently that its inadequacy can be proved if in comparison with other methods, it appears to fall short of this objective. The truth is that open competition was introduced, both in Britain and in America, in order to eliminate the personal factor in the choice of civil servants, and this was held to be so important an objective that any inefficiency arising from the objective to generalize the process of selection could be borne with equanimity.

The idea that open competition ensures equality of opportunity is important in a democratic age. Yet to set an examination at all means the imposition of a standard, and wisdom declares that any such standard should ensure the appointment of persons suitable for the positions they are to be called upon to fill. It is usual to fix age limits for the examination, and this naturally gives an advantage to those whose education at the age fixed has at least reached a stage of equivalence with the examination standard. Thus open competition in practice means equality of opportunity to all of a certain age; it postulates, it true, a certain standard of education, but its ‘openness’ is preserved the absence of any rule giving preference to or excluding any general class of applicants from entry. One of its great virtues is that it does not leave the unsuccessful candidate with a feeling that he has been attributable to his own faults. Improvement of the efficiency of the open competitive method in obtaining the right sort of recruit must depend upon a continual readjustment of the procedure in face of experience and experiment. The selecting board will need to keep in touch both with the changing administrative environment and with the developing educational system. This readjustment, the Civil Service Commission in Britain takes special steps to ensure

Ultimately, therefore, open competition, since its net has to spread as widely as possible, is in the nature of a compromise. It selects objectively a sample composed of persons likely in the balance to give the type of service that is required. It cannot recruit only the best, nor would it be a point in its favour if it did so: the community has important work to perform outside the governmental sphere. But if it does not limit its choice to the best it is essential that among those chosen should be included a fair percentage of the best for the State has need of all talents.

This, then, is the real objective confronting the appointing agency when it decides upon its examination standards. It is concerned with an equation: of devising a method of extracting from the whole field of potential recruitment those whose subsequent career in the State service will produce as high a return to the community as the remaining elements will produce elsewhere; for a system that denuded the nongovernmental sphere of an adequate share of the best would be a dangerous one.

It would indeed by very undesirable from the point of view of the subsequent efficiency of the individual if open competition were efficacious in selecting only the best. Not only does the Civil Service require a supply of all the talents, but it also needs a number of moderate entrants to accomplish the less ambitious tasks. As Sir Stanley Leathes, formerly Civil service Commissioner, has pointed out, a drawback of the competitive method of entry is that it forms an easy avenue as compared with the more arduous courses of studies required for other professions, and there is consequently a danger that too many talented individuals may be obtained. It is perhaps a good thing, then, that many, who are quite able in their approach to scholastic matters, do not prove to be much above the average when they come to deal with practical problems. Such a requirement is not, of course, applicable to a directing class, such as the administrative class, where only those capable of first-rate administrative leadership are required, and because treatises on Civil Service invariably pay almost exclusive attention to this directing class, the need for average talents in the larger groups has been given little discussion.

The British Civil Service Commission has developed the open competitive examination to a high degree of efficiency, but it would be wrong to imagine that this type of examination was adopted in or is even suitable for all recruitments carried out under the commission’s supervision. There are a number of posts for which technical qualification or experience are necessary, and in such cases the pure theory of open competition is not applicable.

(860 words)

Precis

Title :- Recruitment by Open Competition

The introduction of the principle of open competition for recruitment of candidates to various services occupies an important place in the history of political development. But it is not always well understood. There is general agreement that through competitive examination we get the best men for service. As a matter of fact Britain and America started this method of open competition to get rid of the personal factor in the matter of the choice of civil servants.

In a democratic age, open competition, important as it is, ensures equality of opportunity and in practice it ensures equality of opportunity to all of a certain age with a certain standard of education. Its merit lies in the fact that it gives no cause of grouse to the unsuccessful.

With a view to making improvements in the efficiency of the method of recruitment by open competition, we must take stock of the changing administrative environment and the developing education systems. For this we will have to work in a spirit of compromise rather than stick to the principles once formulated. We do not always need the best talent for all types of work. There are certain spheres of work where men of average talent would do. This point has to be kept in view always in fixing standards for the competitive examinations, because the Civil Service requires the supply of all talents. But the drawback of the treaties of civil service is that they have been giving exclusive attention to the best talent for administration and direction in the Governmental works with the result that the non-governmental sphere remains deprived of the best talent.

The method of open competition under the British Civil Service Commission has reached a high degree of efficiency, but it is not suitable for nor is it adopted in all recruitments carried out under the Commission’s supervision. For posts requiring technical qualifications and experience the pure theory of open competition is not applicable.

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