Kerala’s performance in Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) was not impressive this year as less than seven aspirants from the state secured in the top 100 rank. Former
Ambassador and author TP Sreenivasan believes that reason behind poor
performance of Kerala’s candidates in UPSC 2020 is their low standard of higher education and
poor English skills. 

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Last week,
UPSC 2020 result was released which comprises that only 40 out of the 761
candidates have been recommended for appointment to IAS, IFS, IPS and Central
Services, Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’.

“Those who live outside
Kerala and those in medical and engineering colleges do better because they
have better English language skills,” the Hindu reported former Ambassador and author TP Sreenivasan as saying. 

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Given the
pathetic state of higher education in the State, he said that Kerala was doing
well. “During my time, the figure never exceeded 15 every year,” said Mr.
Sreenivasan of IFS 1967 batch.

Author T.P.
Sreenivasan also feels that many coaching centres do question and answer
without giving deep education.

“Many who
teach in these institutes are those who have failed many times. This is taking
shots in the dark. If an academic approach is used, they will do well. But the
candidates prefer short cuts,” he said. 

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Former
Ambassador Venu Rajamony, an IFS batch of 1986 feels that those candidates
succeed in the civil services exam they prefer quality education

“A place
like Delhi scores very highly because it has all the above and on top of it,
people from all over the country go there to study and appear,” Former
Ambassador Venu Rajamony said.

Mr. Rajamony,
now Professor of Political Affairs at O.P. Jindal Global University and Officer
on Special Duty to Kerala government, said there was no reason to feel
disappointed that the numbers were not better. 

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“Rather than
taking the approach of coaching institutes who worry only about the success
rate, we should focus as a State on improving the quality of higher education,
infusing confidence in our youth and exposing them to local, national and world
affairs so that they succeed in anything that they attempt,” he said.

Certainly
Kerala has a good pool of talent for civil services. “They should be guided,
encouraged and imbibed that civil services is the easiest path to social
transformation,” N. Prasanth  Manging
Director, Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation said.