Students aspiring to become civil servants will now have interactions with serving officers as the Delhi Government has started an initiative where young officers will share their experiences, strategies and insights about UPSC exam preparation which will help students in developing better understanding of the exam.
In the first instalment, 60 students from Classes 9-12 attended the interaction with Director Education Udit Prakash at VSSKV, Kalkaji. The session was streamed live on YouTube where more than 5,000 students watched it live.
Prakash (IAS, 2007 batch) shared his experiences during the UPSC exam preparation and gave useful tips to the students. He said that he had decided to become an IAS officer right after his 10th class.
He completed his electronics engineering degree from BITS, Pilani and then cleared the UPSC exam.
Interacting with students, he said,”People think that IAS/IPS officers are from different planets as they have cleared a very difficult exam. But, it’s not like that. I was a normal student like everyone else.” Rai shared that students in Delhi government schools are very hardworking and have the potential to excel in civil services exam. The program has been started to develop students’ understanding about the exam.
Director Education Udit Rai said that marks don’t matter in the civil services exam. This is a standalone exam and students graduating in any subject can appear for the exam.
He mentioned that it’s important to have a deeper understanding about the exam. He said that students should choose the subjects in UPSC exam based on their interest and knowledge. This exam is a test of an individual’s personality and character.
Towards the end of the interaction session, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that all the young UPSC aspirants should also dream about what they will do once they become an IAS/IPS officer.
“They should set a dream to serve a larger purpose, whether it’s about developing rural India or eradicate corruption or remove hatred and violence in the society,” added Sisodia, “ if students are clear about the larger purpose they want to serve, they can easily overcome the hurdles and they won’t be tired or scared in the pursuit of their dreams. “
Education minister Sisodia advised the UPSC aspirants that they should develop a study plan right from Class 9 and 10.
He said that Delhi government is committed to help students prepare better for UPSC exam. Deputy CM said that young IAS and IPS officers should interact freely with the students and share strategies about developing the mindset for the exam preparation. They should talk to students about what kind of personality is required of an IAS/IPS officer so that students can gradually prepare themselves to achieve their dreams.