The previous year in the CIVIL SERVICES MAINS(WRITTEN) EXAMINATION there was an analytical question put up for Public Administration candidates requiring them to comment on the thoughts of Pressman and Wildavsky when they argue that new policies and programmes of government take a considerable time to get started.By the time I got the meaning of the statement in my own sense,I thought to relate the same with the issue of Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) in multibrand retail which was announced a few months back,subsequently creating an uproar in the Parliament,outrage with the public forcing the government to wait and take a leap forward when the situaton got back to normal.Finally,FDI in multibrand retail has been notified now.I wondered then if there was any political tactic behind it.If I am on the right track and I hope so,the same formula is again applied with the recent reforms in the Civil Services Examination(CSE),through which the permanent executives of the country are brought into service.
Steps to bring about reforms in the existing pattern of CSE has been taken for the past few years and was initiated with the CSE prelims,2011.After raising controversy and a feeling of dissatisfaction among the non-hindi/english speaking people alleging that the pattern favours the hindi speaking aspirants,few people wrote to the higher officials and protested against it with no considerable development ending rather with an abrupt decline of results that year,especially from the southern part of the country.Gradually now,these modifications trickle down to MAINS,once again prompting the public to rise up in haste and debate in public forums as well as in various media platforms.Receiving this feedback the Ministry of Personnel and Training has kept the changes made in abeyance.However,we have to wait and see whether there is any significance in this move.
Various issues revolve around the only concept of language as a barrier.For example,students who study in any language other than English or Hindi will no longer be able to write their papers in that language unless their undergraduation also happens to be in that medium of instruction.This will seriously limit the aspiration of many in the country as higher studies are being offered mostly in english medium even in rural areas.Students after completing their entire school education in any of the vernacular languages aren't able to gather much knowledge in English even during their graduation while concentrating on the core study.
Also,the proposed regulations do not allow medical,Engineering and other aspirants without a graduation in any noted literature to take up the same as their optional.This seems to be irrational while all other optionals are kept open to all candidates irrespective of their educational background.It is quite unclear why the UPSC has made this decision,which can be certainly presumed as an attempt to discourage candidates making literature their optional.
When the supreme law of the land guarantees the freedom of expression to each and every individual without any requirement of the minimum number of people standing for a similar cause,it still remains a mystery to understand how a constitutional body like UPSC has got it wrong when it sets a limit on the minimum number of candidates to appear in a particular language.Quoting to maintain the quality of the examination in this manner is ridiculous when it attempts to bring down the quality of the personnel in service.Eventually, this move will make the aspirants to decide depending either on their fellow aspirants or on their coaching institutes.
It is an established fact that UPSC designs the examination pattern so as to reduce the influence of coaching institutes which make their annual turnovers in multiple crores.Meanwhile,the proposed changes will only motivate the existing institutes to try smarter with more syllabus and broad coverage.Infact,it is evident from the recent changes made in the preliminary level,that the number of IAS institutes have been growing rapidly with their Memorandum of Understanding(MoUs) getting signed with the great maths study centers of the city after the introduction of Civil services Aptitude Test(CSAT).If this is the present scenario,doesnot the proposed changes in the MAINS pave their way to profit by further integrating themselves with modern English coaching institutes or even opening their own branches within???. To put it in the words of OSHO as he speaks about repressing things.''The more the Pope condemns sex,the more they represses it,the more 'Playboy'(a magazine) sells''And here just like this,the more the UPSC strives to weed out coaching institutes ,the more it gets institutionalized.
The worst case is with the aspirants who are at the do or die situation ,on the brink of their age limit as they are left with a very limited time period to switch over to other medium of expression.Hence .the modifications would leverage students who received elite education and pave the way for indirect imposition of Hindi.The move would definitely stall the increasing entry of candidates from non-hindi speaking states by underestimating their leadership qualities.
At the same time,in this 21st century of disappearing boundaries,English being the Lingua Franca in many parts of the world,cannot be outrightly rejected while it has become the part and parcel of our Indian Administration which is still a remnant of the British legacy.Speaking in the diplomatic context, a civil servant is required to aid formulation of laws,work on delegated legislation,adjudicate issues and communicate effectively whatever is done, to his higher officials nationally and internationally.But,at the very initial stage of induction,the requirement is minimum and language skills can be developed over a period of time by methods of post-entrance training.Therefore making 100 marks for compulsory English comprehension and precis is appropriate when it is kept only for the purpose of minimum qualification assessment.But the revamped pattern would add up these marks ultimately deciding on the service and cadre of the candidates while it is well known that even a single mark can make a difference.
Being proficient in a global language is laudable but it should not overlook the other attributes of a candidate which are comparatively more important.Moreover,administration is a different task which commands a high spirit of leadership built upon a personality's instinct,intellect and intuition inwhich language is just a means to achieve it.With this justification we are trying to emphasize our stand to our UPSC,MoPT and the other stakeholders requesting them not to recognise language which is just one of the means of communication as the most important factor in deciding a recruitment for this prestiguous service,which actually demands service-oriented people with excellent administrative traits.
On the other hand,the modifications being done with general studies papers are to be welcomed,aknowledging the expertise of UPSC in ensuring a level-playing field to all the competitors.General Studies have gained the prominence it deserves, indeed demanding the aspirants to have a wide knowledge and analytical thinking over issues that happen in and around the globe rather than restricting themselves within their closed area of interest.This proposed system is very hopeful about enhancing the aspirants ethics,integrity and aptitude when these qualities are becoming irrelevant these days with highly placed officials as quoted from the repeated instances of corruption and other scandals.Doing away with an optional reduces the undue favor that had been given to candidates who could play their cards well with a chosen subject of interest,relevant or irrelevant to their chosen career.Of course,still the platform provides to showcase their talent as one optional can be done according to their choice.
To conclude with Herman Finers definition,"Civil Service is a professional body of officials,permanent,paid and skilled".This was the statement given when civil servants had to serve the British Crown from its Colonies.But now,the set up is totally different and today we live in a welfare state where bureaucrats are required not only to be loyal to their political executives but also to serve the people of the nation.Hence,all the three IN's of INterest,INtelligence and INtention TOO need to be checked IN a candidate to the maximum possible extent.However,ultimately the State has to decide about it,whereas the only choice left with the citizens in a democracy is to make-our voice heard.....
The previous year in the CIVIL SERVICES MAINS(WRITTEN) EXAMINATION there was an analytical question put up for Public Administration candidates requiring them to comment on the thoughts of Pressman and Wildavsky when they argue that new policies and programmes of government take a considerable time to get started.By the time I got the meaning of the statement in my own sense,I thought to relate the same with the issue of Foreign Direct Investment(FDI) in multibrand retail which was announced a few months back,subsequently creating an uproar in the Parliament,outrage with the public forcing the government to wait and take a leap forward when the situaton got back to normal.Finally,FDI in multibrand retail has been notified now.I wondered then if there was any political tactic behind it.If I am on the right track and I hope so,the same formula is again applied with the recent reforms in the Civil Services Examination(CSE),through which the permanent executives of the country are brought into service.
Steps to bring about reforms in the existing pattern of CSE has been taken for the past few years and was initiated with the CSE prelims,2011.After raising controversy and a feeling of dissatisfaction among the non-hindi/english speaking people alleging that the pattern favours the hindi speaking aspirants,few people wrote to the higher officials and protested against it with no considerable development ending rather with an abrupt decline of results that year,especially from the southern part of the country.Gradually now,these modifications trickle down to MAINS,once again prompting the public to rise up in haste and debate in public forums as well as in various media platforms.Receiving this feedback the Ministry of Personnel and Training has kept the changes made in abeyance.However,we have to wait and see whether there is any significance in this move.
Various issues revolve around the only concept of language as a barrier.For example,students who study in any language other than English or Hindi will no longer be able to write their papers in that language unless their undergraduation also happens to be in that medium of instruction.This will seriously limit the aspiration of many in the country as higher studies are being offered mostly in english medium even in rural areas.Students after completing their entire school education in any of the vernacular languages aren't able to gather much knowledge in English even during their graduation while concentrating on the core study.
Also,the proposed regulations do not allow medical,Engineering and other aspirants without a graduation in any noted literature to take up the same as their optional.This seems to be irrational while all other optionals are kept open to all candidates irrespective of their educational background.It is quite unclear why the UPSC has made this decision,which can be certainly presumed as an attempt to discourage candidates making literature their optional.
When the supreme law of the land guarantees the freedom of expression to each and every individual without any requirement of the minimum number of people standing for a similar cause,it still remains a mystery to understand how a constitutional body like UPSC has got it wrong when it sets a limit on the minimum number of candidates to appear in a particular language.Quoting to maintain the quality of the examination in this manner is ridiculous when it attempts to bring down the quality of the personnel in service.Eventually, this move will make the aspirants to decide depending either on their fellow aspirants or on their coaching institutes.
It is an established fact that UPSC designs the examination pattern so as to reduce the influence of coaching institutes which make their annual turnovers in multiple crores.Meanwhile,the proposed changes will only motivate the existing institutes to try smarter with more syllabus and broad coverage.Infact,it is evident from the recent changes made in the preliminary level,that the number of IAS institutes have been growing rapidly with their Memorandum of Understanding(MoUs) getting signed with the great maths study centers of the city after the introduction of Civil services Aptitude Test(CSAT).If this is the present scenario,doesnot the proposed changes in the MAINS pave their way to profit by further integrating themselves with modern English coaching institutes or even opening their own branches within???. To put it in the words of OSHO as he speaks about repressing things.''The more the Pope condemns sex,the more they represses it,the more 'Playboy'(a magazine) sells''And here just like this,the more the UPSC strives to weed out coaching institutes ,the more it gets institutionalized.
The worst case is with the aspirants who are at the do or die situation ,on the brink of their age limit as they are left with a very limited time period to switch over to other medium of expression.Hence .the modifications would leverage students who received elite education and pave the way for indirect imposition of Hindi.The move would definitely stall the increasing entry of candidates from non-hindi speaking states by underestimating their leadership qualities.
At the same time,in this 21st century of disappearing boundaries,English being the Lingua Franca in many parts of the world,cannot be outrightly rejected while it has become the part and parcel of our Indian Administration which is still a remnant of the British legacy.Speaking in the diplomatic context, a civil servant is required to aid formulation of laws,work on delegated legislation,adjudicate issues and communicate effectively whatever is done, to his higher officials nationally and internationally.But,at the very initial stage of induction,the requirement is minimum and language skills can be developed over a period of time by methods of post-entrance training.Therefore making 100 marks for compulsory English comprehension and precis is appropriate when it is kept only for the purpose of minimum qualification assessment.But the revamped pattern would add up these marks ultimately deciding on the service and cadre of the candidates while it is well known that even a single mark can make a difference.
Being proficient in a global language is laudable but it should not overlook the other attributes of a candidate which are comparatively more important.Moreover,administration is a different task which commands a high spirit of leadership built upon a personality's instinct,intellect and intuition inwhich language is just a means to achieve it.With this justification we are trying to emphasize our stand to our UPSC,MoPT and the other stakeholders requesting them not to recognise language which is just one of the means of communication as the most important factor in deciding a recruitment for this prestiguous service,which actually demands service-oriented people with excellent administrative traits.
On the other hand,the modifications being done with general studies papers are to be welcomed,aknowledging the expertise of UPSC in ensuring a level-playing field to all the competitors.General Studies have gained the prominence it deserves, indeed demanding the aspirants to have a wide knowledge and analytical thinking over issues that happen in and around the globe rather than restricting themselves within their closed area of interest.This proposed system is very hopeful about enhancing the aspirants ethics,integrity and aptitude when these qualities are becoming irrelevant these days with highly placed officials as quoted from the repeated instances of corruption and other scandals.Doing away with an optional reduces the undue favor that had been given to candidates who could play their cards well with a chosen subject of interest,relevant or irrelevant to their chosen career.Of course,still the platform provides to showcase their talent as one optional can be done according to their choice.
To conclude with Herman Finers definition,"Civil Service is a professional body of officials,permanent,paid and skilled".This was the statement given when civil servants had to serve the British Crown from its Colonies.But now,the set up is totally different and today we live in a welfare state where bureaucrats are required not only to be loyal to their political executives but also to serve the people of the nation.Hence,all the three IN's of INterest,INtelligence and INtention TOO need to be checked IN a candidate to the maximum possible extent.However,ultimately the State has to decide about it,whereas the only choice left with the citizens in a democracy is to make-our voice heard.....
