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The Fight for Regional Languages in UPSC Exams

UPSC aspirants demand the inclusion of all 22 regional languages in UPSC exams, highlighting issues of fairness and constitutional rights, as a petition awaits a hearing in the Madras High Court.

By Nihal Kumar
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The Language Barrier in UPSC Exams

Brajesh Kumar, a dedicated aspirant for the civil services examination, believes his extensive preparation should suffice. However, like many others, he encounters a significant obstacle: language skills. This issue is not unique to Brajesh; it is a common challenge faced by tens of thousands of UPSC candidates. They argue for the inclusion of all 22 regional languages recognised under the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution in the UPSC exams.

"There are 22 languages in the Eighth Schedule, and there are also provisions of equality in the Constitution," says Brajesh Kumar. "Since the exams are only in two languages, Hindi and English, it means that many people, like South Indians who know other languages, are losing out because of the language barrier, even if they are honest, intelligent, and capable of improving society. This is an injustice to them."

Brajesh emphasises that judging candidates based on their language skills is unfair. "You can’t judge a person based on their language skills. You can’t judge a person’s knowledge based on it either. For example, language is like a glass, maybe a steel glass or any other glass; if you are thirsty, you will not care which glass you are drinking water from; you will just drink the water and quench your thirst."

This sentiment echoes the voices of many UPSC aspirants who feel that inclusivity in language can provide a fairer and more just examination process, truly reflective of India's diverse linguistic landscape.

The Case for Linguistic Inclusivity in UPSC Exams

Many UPSC aspirants argue that the current system of setting civil services examination papers solely in Hindi and English offers an "unfair" advantage to those proficient in these languages, disadvantaging candidates fluent in other regional languages. Jatheesh Ganesan, who has been preparing for seven years, strongly believes it is time for the UPSC to adopt a more inclusive approach.

"I have been preparing for the UPSC for the past seven years. My medium of language is English because there are no question papers in Tamil. The question papers are always in Hindi and English, so I find it difficult," says Ganesan.

"I have taken some state PSC exams more than two or three times. In state PSC exams, we have questions in both English and Tamil. I find that very comfortable because if I have any trouble reading the English question p

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