The recent controversy over UPSC, civil services exam is a debatable issue which is politicized by political leaders and parties for their parochial interests in Hindi and regional speaking belts. What these leaders and astray students do not understand is that Civil services exam is not a “welfare scheme”, but the most difficult and respected exam of the country.
The accusation on UPSC of being biased toward English has a fundamental fallacy. These students do not understand (and probably do not want to) the fact that, Civil services is a world class exam. The IAS/IFS officers represent the country abroad. The use of English on internet has brought a revolution in the geographical dimensions and users of the language. All the departmental files of the central government/Supreme court are in English, because its the language that binds the country.
There should not be a comparison between English and regional languages. Because they serve different purposes and both are imperative. Its the regional language that makes a civil servant eligible to deal with the local people and listen to their grievances. So the UPSC judges both the languages, as there is a compulsory qualifying paper of regional language as well in mains examination.
The students that are sabotaging buses and public property on the name of agitation, can they really be civil service aspirants and serve the country? And no wonder these guys are not able to solve the even 10/12 level English passages. A true aspirant can never waste his time on roads one month before the exam. It’s probably the media attention and the desire to get an experience of scrabble with local administration which is attracting them on roads.
People do not understand that it’s a competitive exam, which means no matter how prepared you are, how smart you are, there are only 1000 seats. And so, only top 1000 will be selected (including 50% reservation seats) depending on the relative performance, out of the 400,000 students writing the exam. Usually they confuse it with their graduation exams in which they got passed or failed depending on the own performance.
The legacy of fame and respect for IAS officers is well known around the country. The expectations from family members, friends and teachers are usually high, which puts a moral pressure on the students. But given the nature of exam, failure of 380,000 students is bound to occur and for which they are not ready to accept.
Instead of learning and preparing for English, which is not only the International language, but also the linking language within the country, they are demanding to change the pattern. There is no denying that all regional language speaking people are sympathizer to the students and it paves way for politicians to condemn and play with the examination pattern.
The students of humanity have problems with mathematics, banking, aptitude etc. The irony of the exam in which more than 80% syllabus is from humanities is that, from last one decade most of the toppers are from non science background. These students are either from IIT’s, IIM’s, AIIMs or other technical/medical colleges. If these students can learn humanities and top the exam, why can’t the students of humanities come out of their comfort zone and learn some basic mathematics?
It probably the negative aspect of a democracy, where decisions are taken keeping majority and vote banks in mind (not the national interest). The vibrant democracy like India is in the same conundrum. Instead of raising themselves up to the level of exam, demanding UPSC to bring it down, and inviting politicians to breach the autonomy of a constitutional body, these students are gnawing the foundations of the commission and putting questions on their credentials.
In this era of computerization and internet, we need to understand that the exam is no more monopoly of students preparing in Mukherjee Nagar (which is the heart of agitation as well) or Colleges like St. Stephens as it happens to be once. The time has changed and we know people are usually reluctant to the change, but the matter of fact is also that those who do not change with time cease to exist. The same is applicable here as well.
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