The Vice President Of Indian National Congress Hon. Minister Rahul Gandhi Respected Minister, As SC/STs are the most vulnerable and deprived sections of the society and they have been kept down from entering the education for thousands of years. With reservation policy, many sc/sts are entering education these days. For the last many years, the derived sections have been employed in he jobs in government sector. In this connection, I want to draw your attention that in case of SC/STs there are unlimited attempts in UPSC exam and age relaxation for 35 years. Of sudden, UPSC has made certain changes in the preliminary 2011, which was not at all welcome by those who do not have access to private tutorials and good education. Such candidates were affected by the changes made in the prelims syllabus because the UPSC lifted of optional paper and introduced the CSAT paper. CSAT is more about your personality and personality cannot be built in hay day. The basic structure of personality is the consciousness. This consciousness is the consciousness of present, past and the future. Whatever we are taught in our childhood is stage setting for the future learning and if we are not given sufficient feed back in our primary days, it will be almost difficult to pick up with competition. What is primary consciousness? Primary consciousness is our primary life or basic life. It is learning primary data like basic structures, numbers, primitive syntax, and basic sounds. This basic data is first impression on our mind. Then, it also depends on our teachers from whom we receive knowledge. This basic knowledge that we need is given by our parents. Quite contrary to it, our education is also affected by the teachers background. An sc/st student is affected by the style of teaching and manners of the teachers in the class-room. As sc/sts are reservation beneficiary, its matter of jealousy for the Brahmins. Then, it remains almost difficult for an SC/ST quota student to pick up in the classroom because the teacher never maintain positive face with his student while teaching. Extremely poor, brought up in illiterate family, confused by his/her teachers, the sc/sts always remain confused about the basics. In 10+2+3 system, there is sudden upsurge of books and concepts for which, they are not ready. Such students try to learn things very late in life. But, they also want to be IAS and IPS as career choice provided that they should be given proper feed back by the teachers. This is not just problem of teaching methodology and social stigmas, but it is also a problem of syllabus design and because of lack of support by the policy makers, the syllabus does not incorporate the crucial concepts in course of primary, middle and secondary (10+2) and graduation (10+2+3). When the syllabus does not include changes at primary level, it is a constraint for the students to acquire the L2 and L3 and higher order of consciousness. In so, bringing change in prelims syllabus, and all of a sudden, does not allow an innocent student to rise up high. Such students may start education very late lacking proper feedback and resources. They may also have to suffer the negative face of the teachers in the schooldays and later on. Such students work on concepts day and night in order to prove their quality scholarship in the society and academia but this is also further aggravated by the negative comments on them by the teachers. Quite, the government has made directive principles to implement the age relaxation for the sc/sts, but at the same time, they have changed the syllabus. Then, it is not the question of unlimited attempts, it is question of age relaxation for sc/st in employment. As the syllabus has been changed all of a sudden in 2011, many students were deprived of appearing for UPSC exam lacking age. In current struggle, candidates fought for gaining extra attempts and the government agreed to giving them attempts and age relaxation. As we know that in case of sc/sts there was no politics of extra attempts, government did not bother much about it. The government left the sc/sts as disjoint set. Unlimited attempts for sc/st mean they are disjoint set of people. Absolutely, there is no reason to talk about attempts for SC/ST because they already have unlimited attempts. But, what is the use of unlimited attempts when the candidate does not have age to appear for the exam. Then, we need further age relaxation for SC/STs. Suppose you give them 5 more years (35+5=40), this will help them to excel in the current syllabus requirement and succeed in the exam. I think DoPT should provide further age relaxation for such students so that SC/STs could get benefits of reservation policy. The sc/sts are the best personality we have known so far but they require to be trained properly for the exam which is not the question of the preparation alone but it is also about training them right from their schooling according to the changing necessity of the exam. This has never been possible because of lack of unified syllabus for all the states. ISC board has really trained good students because of the rich syllabus and quality teaching in the classroom. Who are the most affected people then? The poor sc/st who do not have access to those schools where ISC/CBSE board education is available. Knowing that the school syllabus has been very badly drafted, and having no access to convents, and also lack of social support, many students drop out from going to school after 10+2 and the government has not been able to help such students on time. And many of them turn up to complete their graduation very late and realise to take up CSE exam. Such candidates are further discouraged by the syllabus change by UPSC, and lack of age. Looking at the facts and circumstances, it would be in favour of sc/sts to extend the age limits for 40 years allowing them to appear for the exam for extra five years. Supposing that a candidate from vulnerable section represent the government for 20 years as an IAS, will it be a shame for his/her society. No? It will encourage many other members of the generation to opt for CSE. CSE is not just about employment but it is more about the representation of the people in the government and bureaucracy. Representing an sc/st in bureaucracy makes a difference even at the age of 40 because it is question of representing the community and his society. Then, increasing the age limits of sc/sts for 40 years will further encourage them to work for the development of the society. As your department has already made a decision in this regard and submitted an informal write up to the UPSC, I would like to draw your attention to certain problems in the decision. Knowing that your department has already given two extra attempts for the General and OBC category and further relaxed the age for them, this reservation should also be further relaxed in case of sc/sts. Even after unlimited attempts, sc/sts require further age relaxation for five more years to be at par with the current syllabus (35+5=40). In this connection I remind you, sir, that keeping sc/sts from getting further age relaxation will fall in favour of those categories who are already advantageous sections of the society. And as you are the only political agency who is competent enough to implement this decision, I would like to draw your attention once more to the sc/sts who are disadvantaged because of change of syllabus and require further age relaxation. Yours Truly, Ghanshyam Das.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Feb 2014 11:25:18 +0000
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