In tune with the principle of ‘catch them young’, the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education (DHSE) is set to roll out a programme to identify and groom potential civil servants among students.
The Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling Cell of DHSE, in association with the State government’s Kerala State Civil Service Academy, will introduce an orientation programme this academic year for higher secondary students aspiring to join civil services.
The focal point of the programme will be a four-day residential workshop to be held across the State. Two-hour-long interactions with young civil servants will be held on the first two days of the workshop to help students clear their doubts and learn from success stories.
It is the renewed interest among youngsters in civil services in the wake of frequent success stories from the State that prompted DHSE to formulate the programme. Participants at the workshops will be selected through a preliminary test to be held in every district for students of government and aided schools.
Career guides at schools will identify students with the right skill set and aptitude for the exams to be conducted at each district headquarters.
“The top 25 students from each district will be selected for the workshop. Each workshop will cater for 50 such selected students from two districts,” C.M. Azeem, State coordinator, Career Guidance and Adolescent Counselling Cell, DHSE, told The Hindu. The question paper for the preliminary selection will be prepared by experts from the Kerala State Civil Service Academy.
The workshops will be led by subject experts and will focus on giving students insights into preparation for civil services examination and even help them decide on their optional subjects by cultivating an interest in it. “The workshop will help students acquire basic knowledge on various aspects of civil services examination such as syllabus, mode of preparation, and pattern of questions,” said Mr. Azeem.
Seven workshops will be held during the year in Thiruvananthapuram, Kottayam, Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Malappuram, Kozhikode and Kannur districts.