Rakkam advises students to challenge themselves and break new ground
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 26: After Meghalaya drew a blank again in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2024, Education Minister Rakkam A. Sangma on Friday urged students from the state to take this trend as a challenge and break new ground.
“This should be a challenge for the young people of our state,” he said, reacting to the UPSC CSE 2024 final results declared earlier this week.
No one from Meghalaya was on the list of the successful candidates in one of the country’s most competitive and prestigious examinations.
Every year, lakhs of candidates appear for the UPSC CSE, which recruits candidates into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and other services. Many from Meghalaya sat for the exam too.
The prolonged absence from the UPSC merit list has been a matter of concern for the state’s Education Department and policymakers. Meghalaya’s representation in India’s elite civil services has seen a sharp decline since the early 2000s.
The reasons behind the recurring absence are multifaceted. Educationists have often cited a lack of dedicated coaching infrastructure, limited awareness among students about the exam’s structure, and a need for early exposure to competitive exam preparation strategies. Some have also pointed to the lack of institutional support and financial assistance for aspirants as key barriers.
Although the Meghalaya government has introduced various scholarship schemes and capacity-building initiatives over the years, including support for civil services coaching outside the state, the results have not yet translated into successful outcomes.
