CS urges Mizo students to revive ''IAS factory''

Aizawl, Oct 28 (UNI) Mizoram Chief Secretary Haukhum Hauzel has urged the Mizo students to endeavour to regain the past glory of Mizoram as an ''IAS factory''.

Deeply regretting the decline in the number of Mizo students entering the all-India services, the IAS officer, on the occasion of Zirlaite Ni or Students' Day yesterday, said, ''From 1966 to 1990, at least two to three Mizo names appeared in every year's IAS results. What people used to say was 'there is only one factory in Mizoram and that is IAS factory'.'' He pointed out that most of the Mizo IAS officers passed HSLC in second division.

''We have a good number of HSLC first divisioners each year, but our position in the IAS exams keeps declining. With no Mizo youths to replace the existing Mizo IAS officers, who will retire in the near future, I fear that someday the state bureaucracy will be dominated by non-Mizo IAS officers,'' he said.

Mr Hauzel urged the students to develop right motivation, determination and will to pursue not only general education, but also vocational and technical studies for securing employment, especially after the HSLC stage education.

At present, as many as 745 Class XI-XII students are doing vocational courses in 16 schools, and another seven would have the same soon.

Zirlaite Ni was observed in schools, from primary to secondary, across Mizoram yesterday. At the initiative of the Mizo Zirlai Pawl, the state's largest students' organisation, the state government had decided to mark October 27, which is also the foundation day of the MZP, as Students' Day with effect from last year.

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