YOUTH ACHIEVES IPS THROUGH DISTANCE EDUCATION

Aiming high and aspiring to be a part of the ''news making'' fraternity, 24-year-old Himanshu Kumar has added the jewel to the crown of Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) by becoming the third student ever of the University to clear the Civil Services Examination. A student of second year MA (Public Administration) in the University, Kumar has stood 141st in the Civil Services Examination 2009 Merit list. ''Since my childhood I wanted to be an IPS officer and serve the nation through my good deeds,'' Kumar said today. Hailing from Champaran district in Bihar, Kumar is a graduate from University of Delhi in Journalism. ''I could have also done a Post Graduate course from a media institute and then write news. But I opted to become a 'newsmaker','' he said. Before graduation, Kumar, son of a farmer, pursued his 10+2 from Delhi with 81.2 per cent marks while his middle schooling was done in Assam. At present, Kumar is staying in the national capital with his younger brother. Talking about his course at IGNOU, Kumar said, ''My course material helped me a lot in preparing for my entrance exam. There are no textbooks available for some topics in the Civil Services Examination and I had an edge because I was studying with IGNOU.'' ''I noticed that some of the other students preparing for IAS also refer to IGNOU course materials, not only in Public Administration but also for Sociology,'' he added.

Replying to a question if at any point he felt that open schooling was not appropriate, a common notion among general public, Kumar said, ''It is not true. Moreover in my case, I had opted for IGNOU because no other university in Delhi provides this course, not even at under graduate level.'' ''I had taken the right decision,'' he said.

Himanshu is currently waiting to join either the IAS or the IPS, his first two options at the Civil Services. Having cleared his first year in MA with 64 per cent marks, Kumar is also gearing up to appear for the second year examinations at IGNOU next month.

A university spokesperson said, ''Kumar's achievement will prove to be a great motivation for all learners of IGNOU and will encourage them to set higher goals.'' He added that Kumar was the third ever student from the university to clear the exam. ''Earlier, two IGNOU graduates had cleared it in the year 2007,'' he said.