The education and public employment sectors are most often mapped on calendars to ensure a degree of recurrence and predictability. The pandemic has shaken almost all segments of our lives and has undoubtedly impacted these sectors as well.
While the governments and regulating bodies have postponed several exams such as the NEET, JEE, and even Class X and XII Boards; several other competitive exam dates are still uncertain without any clarification from the authorities. Given the fact, we do not even have a vaccination program for under 18 years, there should not be any doubt in pushing all school level examinations to a prospective date.
The Civil Services Examination is one of India’s most sought-after entrances with an average of about 5 lakh candidates appearing for the Preliminary stage as opposed to about 8 lakh candidates filling up the application form. The interviews for the outgoing 2020 exam edition due to begin from April 2021 and end on 18 June 2021 exam have been rightfully postponed given the situation at hand.
However, the upcoming 2021 Preliminary stage of the Civil Services Examination is just round to the corner slated to be conducted on 27 June 2021. There is absolutely no communication from the Union Public Service Commission regarding the same. The Prelims was also postponed last year, but the students were informed about the same almost at the eleventh hour. The pandemic has worsened and is far more dangerous than it seemed to be last year. A simple comparative hints that under the circumstances, the Prelims must certainly be postponed.
Several technical glitches can be resolved as we live in extraordinary times. Temporary regulatory changes can be made to the examination rules allowing candidates to appear for the Prelims stage when conducted later, and their candidates can be withdrawn from the 2021 exam if they are allotted the administrative or foreign services in the 2020 attempt. Furthermore, venue choices may also be asked again from the candidates as several states’ specific restrictions are in place.
It is unquestionable that almost everyone has been impacted by the pandemic including the aspirants and their families. A lot of civil service aspirants bear heavy financial costs and study at various coaching hubs across major cities in Delhi away from their hometowns. A timely announcement from the UPSC can not only help aspirants plan their studies for the country’s toughest competitive exam but also ensure they are able to make more financially prudent decisions.
As a teacher who has been training civil service aspirants for over 8 years, it is my most humble recommendation that a relatively clear and indicative schedule must be released by the Commission on an urgent basis, as thousands of students are stuck with several difficult choices to make.
The author is a Lawyer, Policy Analyst, Civil Services Exam Trainer on The Civil Services Exam Conundrum.
(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own and do not reflect those of DNA.)