Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) has been facing criticism for deviating from the prescribed syllabus for the examination related to the recruitment of Higher Secondary (HSE) Malayalam Teachers.

The exam, held on August 8, has been described by candidates as unfair. They are calling for the exam to be cancelled and re-conducted. Those affected are also awaiting a response to their complaints lodged with the PSC.

Why there is controversy?
According to the communication from the PSC, the exam was supposed to feature seven questions from each of the 10 modules. However, it has been alleged that topics or even a single question from many of the modules did not make it to the exam paper.

Candidates have argued that while the syllabus covers a broad spectrum of topics from ancient to post-modern literature, the exam disproportionately emphasised questions on grammar, linguistics, literary criticism, and modern literature.

They have also noted that Malayalam cinema was not considered in the exam, despite being part of the syllabus. Questions such as "Who is the director of the Tamil film 'Basha'?" and "Which film was shown in the same theatre for the longest time?" were included instead.

Candidates have criticised the exam for an undue focus on new media and popular literature.