SHILLONG, APR 24: Meghalaya’s failure to produce a successful candidate from among the tribal communities to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations for the past many years is being seen as a matter of serious concern for the state.

This was despite initiatives taken by the state government to support talented IAS aspirants from Meghalaya.

In 2019, the state government had launched the Chief Minister’s Civil Services Fellows (Scholarship worth 1 crore for 100 youth), which has created an opportunity for deserving and talented IAS aspirants of Meghalaya to undergo free of cost coaching from ALS IAS.

Expressing concern on the matter, Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Tuesday said not a single candidate from Meghalaya has cleared the UPSC exams, results of which were declared recently.

“It is a matter of concern and it is very unfortunate. Therefore, there is a wake up call for the government, the institutions and the people of Meghalaya as the trend is very grim for us,” Sangma told reporters.

“If Meghalaya continues to fail to produce civil service candidates in near future, it will be a dark future for the state,” he added.

Asserting the need for self motivation among the young talented youths of the state, Sangma said, “Bringing private coaching centres is also one of the ways forward. However, to me self-motivation is really the need of the hour for the students (or aspirants).”

Asked on what could be the reason for youths from the state not able to crack the UPSC exams, the education minister said though Meghalaya youths are second to nobody but “our children are not well connected with the national and international standard be it in the curriculum, physically, or mentally, we should learn what is happening in Gujarat, Manipur, Shillong, Delhi, London, we should be well prepared. I think general studies are something which we should be more active at…it is time to reignite ourselves that I am second to nobody.”

Further, the minister said that the government is trying its best through different programmes and different incentives but most of the candidates have landed in the MCS examinations.

“Of course we have spent the money but we have seen many brilliant MCS officers right now in the state but however many of our people could not crack UPSC examinations in the past few years but in the future, I am sure Meghalaya will see somebody (becomes successful in cracking the UPSC examinations),” he added.

He also asserted the importance of quality education right from the foundational stage to higher education.

According to him, the recent decision of the government to introduce NCERT textbooks will to a great extent help to bring the level of education to the national standard.

“But reading only NCERT textbooks is not the solution we should go beyond our boundaries…” he added further.

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