Twenty-seven students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) here have cleared the all-India Agricultural Research Service (ARS) examination held in June 2012. Ten of them are in the top three ranks.
ResultsThe results of the examination were published this month.
The examination is conducted by Agricultural Scientists’ Recruitment Board for postgraduates.
Those who clear the ARS get placed as scientists in any of the research centres of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
This has brought much cheer to the university, because ARS is considered the ‘IAS’ of agriculture, according to K. Ramasamy, Vice-Chancellor of TNAU.
Though the university always had a few students clearing ARS every year, this was for the first time a higher number of students clearing the examination.
“The ARS examination is equivalent to that of the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission). It includes a preliminary examination, then a main, and a viva voce for final selection. TNAU topped the list of institutions that supplied scientists to ICAR. The ARS results are a motivation to students of the university to find a place in this list,” he said.
“We get quality students and so we are able to give them good input. The role of teachers in motivating these students in preparing for competitive examinations is vital and TNAU teachers have not only motivated, but also guided them at every stage,” Mr. Ramasamy added.
GuidanceTrue to this, two rank holders who spoke to The Hindu attributed much of their success to the guidance and coaching of the teachers of their respective departments. They did not attend any special coaching.
Syllabus
V. Thondaiman, who did his under graduate, post graduate, and doctoral courses at TNAU, said that the content of the syllabus and the coaching of the faculty of the Department of Spices and Plantation Crops made him confident of bagging one among the first three ranks in ‘Spices, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.’
With a first rank, he is all set to begin his three-month training in January-March 2014 before he starts work as a scientist.
Lovejot Kaur, Ph.D. scholar in agricultural biotechnology competed with 4,700-odd candidates to bag the second rank in her subject.
She focused on the class notes and help from her seniors and is happy that her childhood dream of becoming an agricultural scientist is becoming a reality. For the university, the results mean an increase in funding from ICAR for enhancing infrastructure for students.
