Assam's performance in Civil Services Examination, 2021

Ravindra Kumar Mishra

(Former Chief Consultant, Ministry of Education (formerly MHRD), GOI. Can be reached at rkmishrajee@gmail.com)

Recently, Union Public Service Commission recommended the list of candidates who qualified in the Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2021 which includes three candidates Shilpa Khanikar, Ayushi Kalwar and Devajyoti Burman from the state. Shilpa Khanikar ranked 506th in the UPSC exams, while Ayushi and Devajyoti ranked 618 and 639 respectively.

According to a report in 'The Sentinel', an all-India-level survey has brought it to light that in the past 70 years, only 53 candidates from Assam cracked IAS. This survey covers from 1951 to 2020, when 5,255 IAS officers came out in the country. And only 1.1 percent is from Assam among the 5,255 IAS officers. According to the census of 2011 Assam constitutes 2.58% of India's population.

The result merits attention as there is none from Assam in the list of IAS, IPS and IFS and provokes to remove the impediments impending in the path of Assamese Youths.

The dearth of enabling milieu, inappropriate guidance, the stigma of the toughness of the examination, unfamiliarity with the system, and unavailability of coaching institutes are a few common thoughts attributed to the low performance that seems to be preconceived notions than reality. The government seems to be a soft punching bag to shift the onus. These are the tip of the iceberg.

Civil Services Examination cannot be seen in a fragmented and segregated water-tight compartment. The journey begins with a focus on strengthening schools and higher education as schools are feeders for higher education. This year's HSLC examination attracted a total of 4,05,582 students, with 2,29,131 (56.49%) passing. 65,176 (28.4%) students received a first division grade of more than 60%, while 99,854 (43.5%) students received a second division grade of less than 60%. A total of 64,101 (28%) pupils received a third-place finish. This shows a dismal picture of 71% of students reaching higher secondary and higher.