On Sunday, a written examination was held for direct recruitment to 248 postman jobs, and it was surprising to say that half of the candidates were girls. The two-and-a-half-hour exam was held at 171 centres across the state. It means that the postal department is not a male domain as the term ‘postman’ seems to suggest.
Even if SSLC or class X pass was the minimum qualification prescribed for the job, a number of aspirants were graduates and diploma holders.
Some of girls said that they belong to a middle-class family and their parents don’t encourage them to get a job in BPOs or any other private firms since, they are worried about workplace harassment and night shifts. But they supported them when they said they wanted to become a post woman.
Pooja (name changed), a BA graduate, said: “They thought it was secure and the work would be over by afternoon,” who wrote the exam at Government RC College of Commerce and Management, Race Course Road.
Rumana V, who hold a certificate of diploma in Computer Science, said, “They are offering Rs 20,000 per month and this is a pretty good salary for starting one’s career in a government department.”
Some girls were students pursuing undergraduate and pre-university courses. Pallavi KN, a final-year BA student, and Jayashree R, II-year PU student, both from Hoskote, said, “Getting a government job is difficult. We are here to gain experience in cracking examinations conducted for such jobs.”
Harashiya Banu, who is a BBM from Chikkaballapur, said the postman in her town completed his work in three hours. She further added, “Youngsters like me can pursue postgraduate courses through correspondence even after joining the postal service, as we’ll get a lot of spare time to study.”