Among the 86 candidates who received training for the civil services qualifying tests and interview at the Kerala State Civil Services Academy (KSCSA), 45 have qualified.
The academy, under the Centre for Continuing Education of the government, was set up in 2005. Back then, only five candidates had qualified. Over the years, the KSCSA had succeeded in reaching a total of 225 students to the prestigious civil services, a release said adding that the centre’s strict regimen of model test papers and mock interview sessions stood the candidates in good stead.
Civil services aspirants from outside the State had also enrolled for the KSCSA’s classes. For the students who had passed the preliminary test, the academy took care of travelling expenses to and from New Delhi and accommodation. From among the 45 who qualified for the civil services from the academy, Divya S. Iyer from Palkulangara in the capital was placed 48th on the rank list. Deepak Jacob from Kottarakkara was ranked 57th and P. Akash from Ulloor 67th.
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Medham Roopam never wanted to be anything other than an IAS officer. No wonder, she is the daughter of an IAS officer and he is none other than Kerala’s Resident Commissioner in New Delhi Gyanesh Kumar.
“I think he was my first inspiration. Ever since I graduated from college, I have been working towards this goal,” says Ms. Roopam, who cleared the civil services examination with the 10th rank.
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“I did not get through in my first attempt. The syllabus changed, coaching centres too were as new to this as those of us preparing for the UPSC examination. Things were getting difficult. But I increased the amount of effort I put in. I read a lot of newspapers, scrutinising The Hindu the most carefully,” she says.
Ms. Roopam grew up in Kerala. She studied at Navy Public School in Ernakulam till Class VIII while her father was posted there as District Collector.
She finished Class 12 from St. Thomas High School in Thiruvananthapuram and moved to Delhi with her family for undergraduate studies.