Dear fellow Civil Service aspirants,
You may have heard the news that the government is going to revisit the new civil service examination pattern which was introduced by UPSC in 2011. The possibility that CSAT (Paper II) might be rolled back altogether also looms large. With protesters crowding the streets and pushing the government vehemently to introduce a pattern favorable for Hindi speaking candidates leaves us to wonder about the fate of the exam due to be held on 24th august. You may also have noticed that this event has suddenly attracted the attention of news media, politicians with all of them standing in support of those protesters, without addressing the core issues.
I feel the onus, now, is on us to let the government know that those guys protesting on the streets neither represent the majority’s opinion on this matter nor are their demands legitimate. I would even feel shy to accept them as genuine civil service aspirants. Believe it or not these people have the power to wield influence on the decisions of the government and it is your responsibility to fight for your cause. Very recently, these same so called “Students” took to streets demanding rollback of FYUP (Four Year Undergraduate Programme) from Delhi University’s academic curriculum. Under pressure from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and UGC, an autonomous and prestigious university like Delhi University had to get down on its knees and revert to an archaic and outdated academic curriculum. This episode for sure took a heavy toll on fresh applicants as well currently enrolled FYUP undergraduates. Least to say, that the future of the FYUP undergrads remains uncertain. This incident alone can help you gauge the power vested in these student unions that are mostly considered a nuisance in the university. If you are from Delhi University, you would know that these guys have no other work than to create chaos and rioting atmosphere in the campus. They are always looking for a problem which can be accentuated for political gains. When their job is done, these slogan shouters move to another “fabricated” issue and try to push the government in a corner by disrupting everyday activities, burning public property.
Now look at the demands of these protesters:
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/abvp-activists-demand-scrapping-of-csat-protest-outside-upsc/
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/upsc-row-civil-aspirants-stage-protest-want-csat-scrapped-1638305.html
They say that CSAT is biased against Hindi medium students. The mathematical questions asked are too tough and technical which gives an edge to the students from Science and Engineering backgrounds. And they will settle for nothing but the scrapping of CSAT. Very democratic indeed!
The Hindu, the leading newspaper, covered the stories of students preparing for this exam in Mukharjee Nagar in Delhi. Particularly highlighted was their deplorable living conditions and a poor financial background. Some said the exams only want students who have passed out of IIT’s and IIM’s. Although, I applaud The Hindu’s attempt to reach out to some of the aspirants but I will not accept this effort as credible journalism. They only voiced the opinion of a minority as compared to 4 lakh candidates from all over India. Sadly this has been the approach of Indian media so far, they have not interviewed a single aspirant in favor of CSAT to present an objective, unbiased picture.
Let me give you an example, I am a native Hindi speaker and I am proud of that. My father is a clerk as well. I too am not financially well off. I too have done part of my studies from Hindi medium schools. Does that make me a candidate for civil services or “Sympathy”? I have worked hard on my English speaking and writing skills and so I am confident that my background does not impair my chances of success anywhere. I am not begging for sympathy and I am sure this is also the story of many civil service aspirants out there. It must be understood that Indian Civil services are India’s top class services and hence deserve top talents. Exams are designed to be tough and challenging. And contrary to what people may have come to believe, these are not higher secondary exams in which the level is deliberately lowered to help you pass. They are among the most competitive examinations in the whole world. Why should they lower the barrier to allow members belonging to a specific community to pass? These tests want you to fail, not pass!
To the best of my understanding of the issues raised I have tried to come up with following questions and my answers.
Q Is CSAT really biased against Hindi medium students?
A: I do not know how much English a Hindi medium student is exposed to but what I do know is that a civil service aspirant must have at least a basic understanding of English language. As a civil servant, you are supposed to be the cream of Indian Bureaucracy. You are expected to be the people who will be responsible for policy framing and their implementation. Now consider this, India is a multi-lingual country and if you are posted in a non hindi speaking state what will you do? The point is, at the very least, you are expected to know the two official languages of the country (Hindi and English). It does not matter what your background have been so far, you must learn it to your advantage. Prove it that you have got what it takes to be a first class bureaucrat, a multi-talented person, with nerves of steel, not one who makes excuses on every instance.
Regarding the questions asked in the exam, I feel the comprehensions require a basic understanding of English language. Besides, every question is translated in Hindi as well. Now some people say that the quality of translation is not good, which is something I am sure UPSC would be looking into but demanding a complete scrap of CSAT is unfair towards talented individuals.
Q What about the mathematical questions? They seem too technical and give undue advantage to engineering and science students.
A: Well, first of all the standard of these mathematical questions is class X level. I am sure each one of us has passed class X exams with mathematics. Now these questions are definitely not straight forward, you will have to use your mental aptitude but that is the point isn’t it? The questions are deliberately twisted to test your raw mental aptitude. Definitely, a student from science and engineering background will have a better understanding of the problem. But again, if this logic is to be followed, then the Paper-I (General studies) with more than 80% questions from history, polity and other humanity subjects will be advantageous for students with humanities background. No one complains about that? Moreover, you take a look at any IQ test in the world. All of them are filled with CSAT type questions and to share with you the truth the questions in IQ tests are much more difficult. These tests have a scientific basis and are followed all over the world hence UPSC has adopted it to choose the best talents for the service. What is wrong with that?
Q Science and Engineering students score very well in the CSAT and push the cut offs very high, which is unfair?
A: This is where I agree with you. The idea behind having two papers (Paper I and II) is that it should test the candidate’s general awareness as well as his raw mental aptitude. If a candidate does not do well in general awareness but does exceptionally well in CSAT he can still manage to reach the cut off which is definitely unfair. So UPSC could introduce sectional cut offs in paper I and II and ensure that they can reliably test candidates general awareness as well as his raw mental aptitude.
My opinion is that there are concerns of Hindi speaking candidates that UPSC could easily take care of but to demand a favorable change in the pattern is downright ridiculous. Although Hindi is the language of majority, it is not our national language and there are other linguistic groups whose interests need to be taken care of as well. One cannot resort to anarchic ways to distort a perfectly good system in place and create a hugely skewed system to suit the needs of few. That is why I decided to come up with this platform to raise our voice, those who are in favor of retaining CSAT, although with minor changes to address the grievances of protestors. This is our sincere plea to our representatives in parliament, not to politicize the situation and interfere in the functioning of an autonomous body like UPSC. Please do not allow hooligans in the disguise of students to force your hands and destroy a perfectly good system. Please let UPSC handle the situation and come up with a solution on its own.
Jai Hind!
Updates
July 17, 2014
The government is caving to the loud minority on the streets while ignoring the actual merits of the CSAT paper. This spineless bowing to pressure tactics threatens the integrity of the entire examination process and we refuse to stay silent while they dismantle it.
July 17, 2014
The people screaming in the streets think they can bully the government into gutting our exam process whenever they feel entitled to a change. We have officially gained enough momentum to prove that their loud demands do not speak for the rest of us.
9 Comments
There should be a genuine reason for any decision. Judging from the recent past, it seems that all it takes to influence a decision is to carry out a protest. Instead of discussing about advantages, disadvantages, precedents etc. some people go out there and force the hands of authorities to take a decision. I fully support your petition. This madness needs to stop.
Only UPSC Civils don't have english in its test even NDA, CDS, Banks Exams like IBPS and many more.... But nobody is protesting for the same and the kind of English is asked in UPSC thats very basic and everybody can get ti through if they determines for the same. I thinks, there shouldn't be any change in the present pattern and if they really want to help then they can remove the subjects also so the competition becomes same to everyone. Jai hind
Csat is the best pattern for prestigious upsc, csat does not support any faculty but it only helps in testing the aptitude and selecting the best ones. So it is my humble request to the govt please do not consider this unjustice demand and help the functioning of upsc with the same pattern. Jai Hind
Please even go and support this. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/upsc-retain-csat?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=new_petition_recruit#share
2maro i want to have sex with an actress (anyone not specific) and i sit on dharna like kejriwal and i will say i will not eat i will burn my self will government will do that....is this the definition of democracy in constitution of INDIA ....those aspirants who cant solve 8 question in english ..how they will solve the compulsory paper in mains..I am from UP hindi background...I DO SUPPORT CSAT...imagine if a foreigner comes to UP and m an IAS . what i will say bhaya ka bol rahe hai nahi na samjh paa rahe hai....no hard feelings for any state but CSAT is the way to find the leaders with acumen ....
First of do all aspirants want CSAT To be scrapped ? National exam isn't for any special category of student whether speaking Hindi or English. Hence its format should not favor either hindi medium or english medium student. Present demands are by vernacular medium students, and tomorrow if an group of english medium students demand something like scrapping new format will they be heard? Take an example of recently notified GPSC (Gujarat Public service Commission’s exam for Class 1 & Class 2 post which includes GAS post etc.) Format. In Prelimnary exams it has English language exam of Low level with 100 marks and Gujarati language of High level of 200 marks. This itself shows undue favour to Gujararti medium students. Still No English medium or group has come against this exam. I think all boards including UPSC and state level boards like GPSC should come out with a fair structure of examinations removing all political and bureaucratic hurdles.
since i don't have time and even u guys also wont be having time but seriously its very frustrating that we are so much selfish that we r not ready what exactly ground reality is ......bro this is not an issue of mere knowing English or any vernacular language ....... did u ever tried to listen what they people r saying ......ever tried to understand.... no .....ya sure why u would be.... you don't need it .......because u don't have time to think beyond ur well being ......ohhhhhh..we thinking to make india a world class country even when we, our youth r not ready to give value to public voice.....just go through the issue and then speak up.....and mak guffaw improve ur GS because being good in CSAT wont make u IAS .....god bless u all and all the best .......before being a IAS plz be human
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Dear fellow Civil Service aspirants,
You may have heard the news that the government is going to revisit the new civil service examination pattern which was introduced by UPSC in 2011. The possibility that CSAT (Paper II) might be rolled back altogether also looms large. With protesters crowding the streets and pushing the government vehemently to introduce a pattern favorable for Hindi speaking candidates leaves us to wonder about the fate of the exam due to be held on 24th august. You may also have noticed that this event has suddenly attracted the attention of news media, politicians with all of them standing in support of those protesters, without addressing the core issues.
I feel the onus, now, is on us to let the government know that those guys protesting on the streets neither represent the majority’s opinion on this matter nor are their demands legitimate. I would even feel shy to accept them as genuine civil service aspirants. Believe it or not these people have the power to wield influence on the decisions of the government and it is your responsibility to fight for your cause. Very recently, these same so called “Students” took to streets demanding rollback of FYUP (Four Year Undergraduate Programme) from Delhi University’s academic curriculum. Under pressure from Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and UGC, an autonomous and prestigious university like Delhi University had to get down on its knees and revert to an archaic and outdated academic curriculum. This episode for sure took a heavy toll on fresh applicants as well currently enrolled FYUP undergraduates. Least to say, that the future of the FYUP undergrads remains uncertain. This incident alone can help you gauge the power vested in these student unions that are mostly considered a nuisance in the university. If you are from Delhi University, you would know that these guys have no other work than to create chaos and rioting atmosphere in the campus. They are always looking for a problem which can be accentuated for political gains. When their job is done, these slogan shouters move to another “fabricated” issue and try to push the government in a corner by disrupting everyday activities, burning public property.
Now look at the demands of these protesters:
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/delhi/abvp-activists-demand-scrapping-of-csat-protest-outside-upsc/
http://www.firstpost.com/politics/upsc-row-civil-aspirants-stage-protest-want-csat-scrapped-1638305.html
They say that CSAT is biased against Hindi medium students. The mathematical questions asked are too tough and technical which gives an edge to the students from Science and Engineering backgrounds. And they will settle for nothing but the scrapping of CSAT. Very democratic indeed!
The Hindu, the leading newspaper, covered the stories of students preparing for this exam in Mukharjee Nagar in Delhi. Particularly highlighted was their deplorable living conditions and a poor financial background. Some said the exams only want students who have passed out of IIT’s and IIM’s. Although, I applaud The Hindu’s attempt to reach out to some of the aspirants but I will not accept this effort as credible journalism. They only voiced the opinion of a minority as compared to 4 lakh candidates from all over India. Sadly this has been the approach of Indian media so far, they have not interviewed a single aspirant in favor of CSAT to present an objective, unbiased picture.
Let me give you an example, I am a native Hindi speaker and I am proud of that. My father is a clerk as well. I too am not financially well off. I too have done part of my studies from Hindi medium schools. Does that make me a candidate for civil services or “Sympathy”? I have worked hard on my English speaking and writing skills and so I am confident that my background does not impair my chances of success anywhere. I am not begging for sympathy and I am sure this is also the story of many civil service aspirants out there. It must be understood that Indian Civil services are India’s top class services and hence deserve top talents. Exams are designed to be tough and challenging. And contrary to what people may have come to believe, these are not higher secondary exams in which the level is deliberately lowered to help you pass. They are among the most competitive examinations in the whole world. Why should they lower the barrier to allow members belonging to a specific community to pass? These tests want you to fail, not pass!
To the best of my understanding of the issues raised I have tried to come up with following questions and my answers.
Q Is CSAT really biased against Hindi medium students?
A: I do not know how much English a Hindi medium student is exposed to but what I do know is that a civil service aspirant must have at least a basic understanding of English language. As a civil servant, you are supposed to be the cream of Indian Bureaucracy. You are expected to be the people who will be responsible for policy framing and their implementation. Now consider this, India is a multi-lingual country and if you are posted in a non hindi speaking state what will you do? The point is, at the very least, you are expected to know the two official languages of the country (Hindi and English). It does not matter what your background have been so far, you must learn it to your advantage. Prove it that you have got what it takes to be a first class bureaucrat, a multi-talented person, with nerves of steel, not one who makes excuses on every instance.
Regarding the questions asked in the exam, I feel the comprehensions require a basic understanding of English language. Besides, every question is translated in Hindi as well. Now some people say that the quality of translation is not good, which is something I am sure UPSC would be looking into but demanding a complete scrap of CSAT is unfair towards talented individuals.
Q What about the mathematical questions? They seem too technical and give undue advantage to engineering and science students.
A: Well, first of all the standard of these mathematical questions is class X level. I am sure each one of us has passed class X exams with mathematics. Now these questions are definitely not straight forward, you will have to use your mental aptitude but that is the point isn’t it? The questions are deliberately twisted to test your raw mental aptitude. Definitely, a student from science and engineering background will have a better understanding of the problem. But again, if this logic is to be followed, then the Paper-I (General studies) with more than 80% questions from history, polity and other humanity subjects will be advantageous for students with humanities background. No one complains about that? Moreover, you take a look at any IQ test in the world. All of them are filled with CSAT type questions and to share with you the truth the questions in IQ tests are much more difficult. These tests have a scientific basis and are followed all over the world hence UPSC has adopted it to choose the best talents for the service. What is wrong with that?
Q Science and Engineering students score very well in the CSAT and push the cut offs very high, which is unfair?
A: This is where I agree with you. The idea behind having two papers (Paper I and II) is that it should test the candidate’s general awareness as well as his raw mental aptitude. If a candidate does not do well in general awareness but does exceptionally well in CSAT he can still manage to reach the cut off which is definitely unfair. So UPSC could introduce sectional cut offs in paper I and II and ensure that they can reliably test candidates general awareness as well as his raw mental aptitude.
My opinion is that there are concerns of Hindi speaking candidates that UPSC could easily take care of but to demand a favorable change in the pattern is downright ridiculous. Although Hindi is the language of majority, it is not our national language and there are other linguistic groups whose interests need to be taken care of as well. One cannot resort to anarchic ways to distort a perfectly good system in place and create a hugely skewed system to suit the needs of few. That is why I decided to come up with this platform to raise our voice, those who are in favor of retaining CSAT, although with minor changes to address the grievances of protestors. This is our sincere plea to our representatives in parliament, not to politicize the situation and interfere in the functioning of an autonomous body like UPSC. Please do not allow hooligans in the disguise of students to force your hands and destroy a perfectly good system. Please let UPSC handle the situation and come up with a solution on its own.
Jai Hind!
Updates
July 17, 2014
The government is caving to the loud minority on the streets while ignoring the actual merits of the CSAT paper. This spineless bowing to pressure tactics threatens the integrity of the entire examination process and we refuse to stay silent while they dismantle it.
July 17, 2014
The people screaming in the streets think they can bully the government into gutting our exam process whenever they feel entitled to a change. We have officially gained enough momentum to prove that their loud demands do not speak for the rest of us.
9 Comments
This is really going to be a sad phase if government accepts this unjustified demand. I don't understand why government is up to spoon feeding to Civil Services Aspirants. This examination is among the most prestigious examination in the whole world and this step may ruin its prestige. So its my humble plea to the government to not to listen to these unjustified demands and must do what is required to maintain the prestige of our country and the whole lot of things attached with it.
There should be a genuine reason for any decision. Judging from the recent past, it seems that all it takes to influence a decision is to carry out a protest. Instead of discussing about advantages, disadvantages, precedents etc. some people go out there and force the hands of authorities to take a decision. I fully support your petition. This madness needs to stop.
Only UPSC Civils don't have english in its test even NDA, CDS, Banks Exams like IBPS and many more.... But nobody is protesting for the same and the kind of English is asked in UPSC thats very basic and everybody can get ti through if they determines for the same. I thinks, there shouldn't be any change in the present pattern and if they really want to help then they can remove the subjects also so the competition becomes same to everyone. Jai hind
Csat is the best pattern for prestigious upsc, csat does not support any faculty but it only helps in testing the aptitude and selecting the best ones. So it is my humble request to the govt please do not consider this unjustice demand and help the functioning of upsc with the same pattern. Jai Hind
Please even go and support this. http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/upsc-retain-csat?utm_medium=email&utm_source=notification&utm_campaign=new_petition_recruit#share
2maro i want to have sex with an actress (anyone not specific) and i sit on dharna like kejriwal and i will say i will not eat i will burn my self will government will do that....is this the definition of democracy in constitution of INDIA ....those aspirants who cant solve 8 question in english ..how they will solve the compulsory paper in mains..I am from UP hindi background...I DO SUPPORT CSAT...imagine if a foreigner comes to UP and m an IAS . what i will say bhaya ka bol rahe hai nahi na samjh paa rahe hai....no hard feelings for any state but CSAT is the way to find the leaders with acumen ....
First of do all aspirants want CSAT To be scrapped ? National exam isn't for any special category of student whether speaking Hindi or English. Hence its format should not favor either hindi medium or english medium student. Present demands are by vernacular medium students, and tomorrow if an group of english medium students demand something like scrapping new format will they be heard? Take an example of recently notified GPSC (Gujarat Public service Commission’s exam for Class 1 & Class 2 post which includes GAS post etc.) Format. In Prelimnary exams it has English language exam of Low level with 100 marks and Gujarati language of High level of 200 marks. This itself shows undue favour to Gujararti medium students. Still No English medium or group has come against this exam. I think all boards including UPSC and state level boards like GPSC should come out with a fair structure of examinations removing all political and bureaucratic hurdles.
since i don't have time and even u guys also wont be having time but seriously its very frustrating that we are so much selfish that we r not ready what exactly ground reality is ......bro this is not an issue of mere knowing English or any vernacular language ....... did u ever tried to listen what they people r saying ......ever tried to understand.... no .....ya sure why u would be.... you don't need it .......because u don't have time to think beyond ur well being ......ohhhhhh..we thinking to make india a world class country even when we, our youth r not ready to give value to public voice.....just go through the issue and then speak up.....and mak guffaw improve ur GS because being good in CSAT wont make u IAS .....god bless u all and all the best .......before being a IAS plz be human
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This is really going to be a sad phase if government accepts this unjustified demand. I don't understand why government is up to spoon feeding to Civil Services Aspirants. This examination is among the most prestigious examination in the whole world and this step may ruin its prestige. So its my humble plea to the government to not to listen to these unjustified demands and must do what is required to maintain the prestige of our country and the whole lot of things attached with it.