Project to spot civil service talent at school level to be launched across the state.

Updated on: Thursday, August 23, 2012

A unique project aimed at spotting “civil service talent” at school level, with the thrust on overall personality development, will soon be launched across the state.

The Institute for Psychological Empowerment, Research and Training, with Dr D Babu Paul, IAS as the Advisory Board chairman, has already launched the programme on a test basis at Malappuram.

It is all set to extend the programme at schools across the state, starting from Ernakulam, from next month.

“Kerala boasts of hundred per cent literacy, yet when it comes to competitive exams like IAS, states at the bottom of the ladder like Bihar are far ahead, contributing winners.

We felt one reason for this was the late preparation by aspirants who choose their fields only when they reach graduation level,” said Dr P.P. Suresh Kumar, Chairman, IPERT.

The programme includes holding a free civil service aptitude test for interested students along the model of IAS exams, by linking up with both aided and unaided schools.

“The test is divided into three parts. The preliminary test (phase one) will be held at the interested schools, while the main test will be at a dedicated centre in each district.

Those who are successful will then interact with experts, including serving IAS and IPS, IFS or IRS officials.

In Malappuram, we’ve already given coaching to 200 students, who cleared the aptitude tests,” Kumar said.

The selected lot will then be “groomed” by a team of experts in the field, who will mainly focus on a deep study of the NCERT syllabus from class VI to class XII.

“The civil service exam is based on the NCERT syllabus up to class 12, plus general knowledge and current affairs. Apart from pure study, our aim is to expose them to value education like personality development, group discussions and so on,” he said.

Dr D Babu Paul, former Chief Secretary, said the main idea behind the initiative was to tap the potential of the younger generation effectively.

“We have a promising young generation, especially in Kerala. It’s up to us to use their potential. Parents and teachers along with experienced trainers can ensure that their inherent ability is effectively developed and utilized,” he said.

While the aptitude tests are completely free, the coaching, to be held on Saturdays, will charge nominal fees to cover the study material and faculty expenses.

“However, for the economically backward students, the entire course is free. We’ve already extended this facility to 12 students in Malappuram,” Kumar said.

Project to spot civil service talent at school level to be launched across the state.

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