Chennai: The selectors at the Tamil Nadu uniformed service recruitment board were in for a big surprise when they found out that 32 percent of 881 fresh recruits were engineering graduates.
Of 881 male and female sub-inspectors selected in all categories, 287 were BE graduates while the rest had degrees in arts, science and commerce, said a TNUSRB official. They said this was the first time SI recruitment had attracted so many engineering graduates to the force.
The recruitment process for the fresh batch of SIs started in February this year. Written examinations were conducted in May while physical measurement, endurance and physical efficiency tests were carried out in August. Interviews were held in September and October. The final results were announced two weeks ago.
The trend revealed that not only are more professionals getting attracted to the police force, but also the selectors feel that rural Tamil Nadu was represented very well in SI selection this time.
“I felt there were more candidates from rural Tamil Nadu rather than city residents. Maybe because those boys and girls from the interiors showed more endurance during tests than the city lads,” a member of the interview board, who didn't wish to be named, told this newspaper.
When asked about there being so many engineering grad Sub-Inspectors, a member of the interview board said there was nothing wrong in BE graduates taking up policing jobs. Our qualifications requirement only says that the applicant must be a graduate.
Of course, not all students graduating out of over 500 odd colleges in the state every year would be able to land plum jobs in their field of engineering specialisation. Others might naturally try to get a government job or explore all options to find employment.
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