Shahid.T from the south Indian state of Kerala was stricken with poverty from a very early age and could not attend regular schooling. He received his education more or less from a madrassa.

The 29-year-old had cracked in his 6^th attempt India’s Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil service exams in May of this year with a rank of 693.

He says that, “In the UAE, children get the best quality educational facilities. The schools here follow a holistic system of education. Children and youngsters can play a key role in India’s decision making and policy formulations. The youth should dream and prepare for a job like civil service in the same way they do for engineering, medical or management roles. They can bring many fresh ideas and solutions from here to India.”

Also mentioning, “The exposure children get here is tremendous and India needs such young minds to serve the country. Indian civil service should be on the agenda of children in schools and youngsters working here. If you have an analytical mind, you have an urge to bring about change and serve your country, then civil service is for you.”

Shahid has been chasing his dream for 6 years. He notes that “I got negative marks – below zero – in my first attempt. My first failure was a big blow, but when you have seen so much of hardship, it also prepares you to be mentally strong. However, I couldn’t clear the preliminary round of the exams in all my five attempts. I was patient and focused on my end goal. And finally, I succeeded in my sixth attempt.”

He also talks about his education remembering the difficult times. “I have gone through difficult times. I couldn’t continue regular school after Class IV due to a financial crisis at home and joined an Islamic center run by an orphanage. I did religious studies for the next 12 years. The centre facilitated writing Class X, XII and degree exams through distance education”, Said Shahid.