UPSC asked to reduce recruitment process timeline to protect candidates' mental, physical health
A parliamentary committee has asked the UPSC to reduce the recruitment process timeline to protect candidates' mental, and physical health. Here are the suggested changes.
mental, physical health. Here are the suggested changes.
By India Today Education Desk: A Parliamentary Committee has recommended reducing the duration of the civil services examination selection cycle, citing the toll it takes on candidates' physical and mental health and the waste of their prime years.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has been asked to take steps to reduce the duration of the recruitment cycle without compromising the quality of the examination. The Committee has also asked the UPSC to examine the reasons for the low turnout of candidates in the civil services examination.
UPSC to examine the reasons for the low turnout of candidates in the civil services examination.
The civil services examination is conducted annually by the UPSC in three stages -- preliminary, main, and interview -- to select officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.
The Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice has recommended that the duration of any recruitment examination should not exceed six months, and an expert committee should assess whether the present scheme of recruitment provides an equal opportunity to both English-medium-educated urban candidates and non-English medium-educated rural candidates.
The committee has also recommended that the UPSC furnish details of the examination fees collected from candidates during the last five years and the expenditure incurred by the commission on the conduct of the examinations for the same period. It has also asked the UPSC to share its findings on the reasons for the low turnout of candidates.
The expert group or committee should will the impact of changes made in the scheme, pattern, and syllabus of civil services examination in the last ten years on the quality of recruitment and administration at large.
The group may also assess whether the existing pattern of preliminary and mains examination provides a level playing field for all candidates irrespective of their academic background.
The panel has also recommended that the UPSC publish the answer key right after the preliminary stage of the civil services examination and allow candidates to raise objections. The Committee suggests that the UPSC collect feedback from candidates and effect improvements in the examination system to ensure more transparency, fairness, and candidate friendliness.
Source: India Today
