THE Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) recently announced 45 posts of assistant director (BPS-17)in the Social Welf are Department. Upon going through the relevant advertisement, one can only feel astonished because the commission has overlooked the Social Work discipline altogether as part of the eligibility criterion.

In the said advertisement, only Sociology has been mentioned, while Social Work has been ignored even though it offers more relevant subjects for the required post as it emphasises more on practical and on-ground research work rather than focussing on the theoretical aspects of the subject. For instance, Social Work has core components, such as case work, group work, community organisation and development, social research, social administration and,lastbutnotleast, socialaction.

Besides, it is the only discipline of the larger domain of social sciences that of fers field practicum and survey.

In Pakistan, Social Work was introduced by United Nations advisers/experts during the 1950s and since then a number of leading universities across the country have been offering various degree programmes in the discipline, producing a substantial number of professionals every year.

The academic discipline should be included through a corrigendum against the said SPSC advertisement.

This will save the career of thousands of Social Work graduates. Otherwise, the injustice will cause frustration, anxiety and mental anguish among those studying for a degree in Social Work.

Syed Abbas Ali Shah Chairman, Department of Social Work, University of Sindh Jamshoro