Thiruvananthapuram:
The Kerala Public Service Commission has agreed to a state government recommendation making it mandatory for all those selected for government jobs to have a good working knowledge of Malayalam.
From now on, all appointed candidates, who have not studied Malayalam either as a first or second language in Class 10 or Class 12, will have to pass a special language examination if they have to be made permanent.
At its meeting held in Thiruvananthapuram , the panel cleared the government proposal and also decided that the eligibility test, which will be equivalent to a Class 10 Malayalam examination, would also be conducted by them.
Students studying for boards like the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the Indian School Certificate Examinations (ISCE) do not have to study Malayalam as they have other options like taking Hindi, French or Special English as their language elective subjects.