Hill youths get coaching succour

Edward's Foundation Civil Service Scholarship Programme will prepare our educated youths to compete for top level jobs in the administration

SNS, DARJEELING, 19 OCTOBER 2020 : With a view to providing opportunities to youngsters aspiring to get into civil services, the Edward's Foundation has decided to sponsor coaching for five youths.

"There is a lot of potential among youths here in the hills, with many wanting to become government servants. However, most are from financially weaker sections of society. For those civil service aspirants from the Hills, we, through our foundation, will sponsor five youths," said Ajoy Edwards of the Edward's Foundation.

"Considering the decreasing representation of candidates from the hills in the state and central civil services, a dire need was also felt to encourage and support our youths to take up this tough and challenging exam. We feel that the Edward's Foundation Civil Service Scholarship Programme will prepare our educated youths to compete for top level jobs in the administration," he added.

According to Mr Edwards, a mock exam will be held for interested candidates, from which the top five will be chosen and given the sponsorship for their coaching.

"We will sponsor their entire coaching expenses in reputed coaching centres. The selection will be made on the basis of an open competitive examination with complete transparency. The syllabus and the standard of the questions will be in line with the syllabus of the WBCS (executive) examination," he said, adding that the first five that will be chosen will be those who want to take the West Bengal Civil Services examinations.

He further said that the details regarding the application, venue, date and time of the said selection will be made public soon.

"The selection process will be on the basis of merit with no reservation to any community. However, preference will be given to candidates belonging to the economically weaker sections of our society," he said.

In future, the foundation also aims to sponsor aspirants to compete for the central Civil Services conducted by the UPSC (IAS, IPS, IRS, IFS etc).

"One of the other reasons why we are doing this is also that people here have a dream for Gorkhaland, and when we achieve that, rather than having officers brought from outside it will be better to have officers from here itself," he said.

(Courtesy & source: https://epaper.thestatesman.com/2862624/Siliguri-The-Statesman/20TH-OCTOBER-2020#page/2/2)