UPSC wants babus with aptitude, not attitude

New Delhi: The babus are known for their attitude, but the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) now wants a bureaucracy with aptitude. And to bring this change, the UPSC has recommended an overhaul in the format of the civil services examination.


Among the changes proposed to the government are replacing the preliminaries with an aptitude test comprisingtwo common papers and reducing the number of attempts allowed to a candidate.

The commission has also proposed that the promotion of officers from state services to the all-India level should not be based solely on the assessment of annual confidential reports, but should also involve a competitive examination and an interview.

The civil services examination is an all-India level screening to recruit officers for administrative (IAS), police (IPS), foreign (IFS) and allied services. The commission receives over 10 lakh applications for 14 regular examinations and other recruitment tests it conducts every year. Of these, about 5,000 officers are selected after a rigorous process of screening, testing and personal interviews.

The UPSC believes fewer attempts will remove the premium on cramming, or learning by rote. At present, the maximum number of attempts allowed to a general candidate is four. While the aspirants from other backward classes are allowed seven attempts, there is no such restriction for SC/ST aspirants.

The age limit is 21-30 years, with graduation as the minimum qualification required.
As of now, the preliminary examination has two papers -- general studies carrying 150 marks and an optional paper (selected from a list of 23 subjects) carrying 300 marks.

The UPSC wants to replace this pattern with an aptitude test having two objective-type papers common to all candidates. In its recommendations sent to the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, the UPSC has said that these changes will not only test candidates' decision-making skills and aptitude for civil services, but also provide a level-playing field through common papers.

"The emphasis will be on testing the aptitude of the candidate for the demanding life in the civil service as well as on the ethical and moral dimensions of decision-making," said UPSC chairman DP Agrawal.

On the proposed three-tier process for promoting officers from the state to the national level, he said it would have the "salutary effect of encouraging competition and privileging merit". "Such a system could, in time, be extended to promotions within the central services as well," Agrawal said. The commission is also contemplating holding the examination on computers.

The structure of the civil services main examination is likely to remain unchanged for the time being. There is also no move to lower the age limit keeping in mind the interests of rural candidates, many of whom complete their graduation later than their urban counterparts.

Wajahat Habibullah, former chief information commissioner and also an ex-director of the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, called the USPC's recommendations "very good". "The civil services examination should be made simpler to bring out the abilities of the candidates rather than giving higher importance to rote learning," he said.