Academics rue ‘sharp decline’ in Tamil Nadu’s success rate in UPSC exams

Expressing concern over what they describe as “sharp decline” in success rate of candidates from Tamil Nadu in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examinations, academics wonder why the situation has come to such a pass despite the State being in the first position (51.4%) in terms of gross enrolment ratio (GER) in higher education.

In 2014, Tamil Nadu’s share of candidates clearing UPSC exams successfully was about 11%. The ratio dropped to 7% in 2017, and 6.69% in 2019. In 2020, it dropped abysmally to just 5%.

During 2021, only 27 out of the 685 candidates who had cleared the exam were from Tamil Nadu. In 2023, the State topper in UPSC civil service exams was ranked 107th.

Unless a thorough revamp of the school and higher education systems is made with necessary upgrade of content and delivery mechanisms, and the vacancies in teaching positions are filled, it will be difficult to stem the decline, they point out.

“Until two decades ago, successful candidates from Tamil Nadu used to hold key administrative positions of several other States as well. If the situation has changed now, it has much to do with the difficulty students face in clearing the aptitude test at the preliminary level,” P. Kanagaraj, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Government Arts College, Coimbatore, a long-time coach for aspirants of civil service examinations, said.

In fact, the decline became perceptible a decade ago after Civil Services Aptitude Test was introduced at the preliminary stage. “Students need considerable knowledge of Arithmetic. While getting through this test many not be an uphill task for engineering students of high calibre, those in arts and science colleges are essentially in a spot of bother,” Prof. Kanagaraj explained, emphasising that the mentality of candidates to confine choice of optional subjects to Public Administration, Geography and Political Science must change.

Also, candidates falter in the personality test in the final stage. The general feedback is that the candidates from Tamil Nadu are not assertive during the course of personal interview, Prof. Kanagaraj said.

IAS coaching centres have not been effective enough. “Mere rote learning and tests with question papers of recent years will not suffice. The centres do not seem to recognise that every candidate is unique,” said former Vice-Chancellor of Anna University E. Balagurusamy, who had served a term as member, UPSC.

“The quality of education at school as well as college is getting worse in Tamil Nadu. The mentality that getting pass marks and degrees through rote learning is the bane of the State,” Prof. Balagurusamy said.

“Creativity and the tendency for hard work and commitment must be nurtured right from school stage. Learning will be permanent only if the students get the opportunity to think and analyse. The gaps in the educational system in the forms of inadequacy of teaching faculty and dilution of quality in content will take the State nowhere,” Prof. Balagurusamy said.