The Public Service Commission (PSC) lowered the passing grade for applicants for senior principal positions in the Malta Public Service, as not enough candidates had got 70 per cent on their test.
Candidates for the role of senior principal in the public service are first required to obtain a 70 per cent grade to pass a general ability test. They are then shortlisted and asked to sit for a structured interview.
A woman complained to the Ombudsman that she had received a mark of 75 per cent when she sat for the test on April 12, ended up placing 90th in the final order of merit and was not awarded the post.
After “seeking all available means of redress”, the woman turned to the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate.
The Ombudsman found that the PSC had taken a decision unilaterally to lower the passing mark of the general ability test to 65 per cent. Applicants were informed of the decision when the results were published on April 21.
The PSC told the Ombudsman that it had been “requested to consider lowering the pass mark of the general ability test, since it transpired that 70 per cent was too stiff”.
It also said 87 of 252 candidates had achieved the passing grade of 70 per cent, adding this would “still be insufficient to address the exigencies across the public service”, which needed 89 senior principals. After the decision to lower the passing mark to 65 per cent, the number eligible for a senior principal interview rose to 126.
The PSC pointed out that “criteria may be altered subject to the prerogative of management and sanctioning by the commission”.
But the Ombudsman said the criteria set out for selection should not have been altered or modified after the test was held and a result published.
“If any changes were required to be carried out regarding the pass mark rating, this should have been done before applicants sat for the test, and all applicants should have been informed in advance of any changes made in the pass mark,” it noted.
It also emerged that a number of the applicants who had not achieved the initial passing mark of 70 per cent were later appointed to be senior principals.
The Ombudsman also noted that the PSC should have published an amendment to the call or withdrawn the call and published a revised one.
The Ombudsman sustained the complaint, saying the PSC should grant the disadvantaged candidates the opportunity to be reconsidered for the appointment.