CSAT has merit. Ignore populist pressure
The Union Government should not succumb to the completely unjustified demand that a bunch of agitating students and their protagonists have been raising for the deletion of CSAT from the IAS preliminary examination. While it is true that language cannot and should not become a means to discriminate between one deserving student and another, the issue at hand is no longer about linguistic discrimination; it's about the illogical opposition to testing the abilities of an IAS aspirant in basic English reasoning. The CSAT is not about checking the advanced literary skills of a student in this language, nor does it seek to put to ‘disadvantage’ candidates that may have studied in a non-English medium school. All that it aims at is to test the understanding of English of a candidate who, if selected, will have to work across the country where English would serve as a link language. This is especially true for south India. The Union Public Service Commission had introduced CSAT after much thought and deliberation, and it is silly to presume that the commission did so with the malicious aim to shut out the so-called non-English students. Since the present Government has often spoken about maintaining and even nurturing the autonomy of institutions, it must allow the UPSC to take a considered call. The report of an expert panel constituted to study the issue, which is with the Government, has reportedly backed CSAT. Although the Government is not bound to accept the recommendations of the report, it will do well to go with expert opinion and not adopt an unwise, populist posture.
Entrance tests to the IAS are considered among the most formidable examinations in the country, and that is how they should remain. The tests are not supposed to take into benign consideration the limitations of students in certain disciplines but expose them to the most stringent process that eventually leads to the selection of the best candidates who will serve in very senior positions in civil administration, the police and in the international diplomatic arena. If there is laxity in the standards here, it will adversely affect governance. Moreover, the demand for change will not end with CSAT in case the Government buckles under pressure and scraps it. The prestigious Indian Institutes of Management also test aspirants for their English language skills. If it is argued today that a grasp of basic English is not an essential requirement to be a good administrator, then it will be contended tomorrow that understanding of the language is not a key consideration to be a good manager either.
Meanwhile, it is unfortunate that political parties have muddied the water, converting what began as a debate over CSAT into linguistic chauvinism. By twisting it into an ‘English versus Hindi' or ‘English versus Indian languages' issue, they are only adding fuel to fire. languages are meant to unite, but some political leaders want to use it to divide the people. language politics has led to dangerous situations in the past. Politicians from north India are forever seeing a threat to Hindi from the English-speaking crowd while those in the south see a sinister plot against Dravidian languages every time a healthy attempt is made to popularise Hindi or even Sanskrit. This nonsense must stop.