Aspirants of civil service examinations, like the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC), are staring at an uncertain future. Many of them are unable to prepare for exams amid the pandemic. While some expect the exams to be deferred again, many are waiting for the government to announce new dates. However, the uncertainty has led to financial distress and psychological stress for many aspirants.
Lakshmi (name changed), the only government job aspirant in her family, is struggling to prepare for Teaching Recruitment Board (TRB) exams amid the lockdown. She has a three-year-old son and was studying in a hostel in Chennai. However, the lockdown forced her and her husband, who was working as an auto driver, to return home to Villupuram. Four months on, Lakshmi is currently forced to attend her Bachelor of Education (BEd) classes online from Villupuram and simultaneously prepare for the TRB exams as she battles the taunts of her mother-in-law for spending long hours on her mobile phone.
“My mother-in-law doesn’t understand that I am studying. She thinks I am using my mobile phone for long hours, but I am preparing for online classes and TRB exams. Even today, there was a fight with my mother-in-law since she was complaining that I was late for preparing lunch,” Lakshmi told TNM.
Without a network of fellow aspirants, Lakshmi has no help in Villupuram to prepare for the TRB exams. The Teaching Recruitment Board has not announced an exam date yet. There are new textbooks for certain classes and there is no clarity on the exam portions or the exam date, she said.
Lakshmi does not have financial backing since her husband has also lost his livelihood as an auto driver due to the lockdown; her father-in-law is a farmer who does not make much. Hence, apart from taking care of the family, the financial stress also burdens her. The financial stress, family issues and household chores leave her with little or no time to study.
“We did not have rice and groceries for this week so I had to arrange it with the help of my friends. When getting food has itself become a question mark, I am forced to pay Rs 260 for my internet booster to pursue my dreams. Currently, I am just waiting for the college to reopen so that I get time to study and prepare for the exams,” she said.
Lakshmi aspires to become a teacher. Many members of her family dropped out of college due to financial distress, but she wants to continue her studies and get a government job.
The problems for aspirants in urban areas, however, are different. The uncertainty over the date of exams has reduced their momentum to prepare for the exams. The financial stress has cast a shadow over their dreams.
The UPSC Preliminary exams are usually conducted in May while the Main exams are held in September. However, the coronavirus-induced lockdown has left aspirants with no immediate sight of the future.
Manoj (name changed), a civil service aspirant said, “We do not have clarity on when the exams will be conducted. The government has announced that they will conduct the Prelims in October and the Mains in January. However, there are possibilities for the exams to get postponed. I do not have hope that the exams will be conducted right away due to the increasing number of coronavirus cases in Chennai.”
Manoj started preparing for the UPSC in Delhi and Chennai from 2013, but he took a break for three years. In February, he left his job at a reputed firm with good pay to once again attempt the exams. However, within a month, the pandemic hit India and the exams were postponed from May.
Currently, he said, “I have some savings to tide over this year. But if exams are postponed once again, I will be forced to leave the dream of clearing UPSC exams and should search for other jobs.”
There is a common belief that aspirants can use this time to study but, Manoj pointed out, “For the preparations, we need a momentum — we cannot sustain the motivation and keep revising the subject for a long period of time. The students may lose interest to revise or can forget the topics. So it is very important to learn and attend the exam immediately. However, the uncertainty is creating stress and draining the psychological well-being of individuals.”
Anitha (name changed), an aspirant attempting engineering service exams, is in a fix due to the postponement of exams until further notice. She is pregnant and was hoping to write the competitive exams before June this year. When the lockdown was announced, she continued to prepare for the exams anticipating that they will be conducted by June.
However, as coaching institutes stopped conducting classes for competitive exams without prior notice, she does not have time to prepare for the exams at home and is stressed about the pandemic situation. Anitha said, “I thought I will finish the exams in my first trimester and take care of my health. However, my institute stopped conducting classes so I started losing touch of the subject. As coronavirus cases continued to increase, I was following the news and I became too stressed. So I could not continue with the exam preparation. My doctors have advised me to stay away from the news and to refrain from stressful activities. Whenever I take my book, I am stressed about my exams and I also miss out on noting the movement of my baby,” she said.
The 27-year-old is unsure if she would get time to study once the baby comes along.
“Almost everything has turned haywire. I will have classes till 11 pm every day, so I may have to skip classes and prepare at home. I just wish I can soon pursue my dreams and clear the exams,” she said.