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Kuwait Times
06-05-2025
- General
- Kuwait Times
Radio Kuwait Urdu Service airs its Ramadan program
Radio Kuwait Urdu Service successfully aired its special Ramadan program titled 'Anwaar-e-Ramadan' during the holy month. Designed for the people in Kuwait, the program featured a speech competition and insightful Islamic teachings, making it a spiritually enriching experience for listeners. The broadcast included thought-provoking speeches on the virtues of Ramadan such as self-restraint, kindness and spiritual growth. Alongside this, distinguished scholars Maulana Sifaat Alim Muhammad Zubair, Allauddin Ainul Haque, Muhammad Mustafa, Islam Abdul Hakim and Muhammad Umar Falahi delivered meaningful teachings on the significance of fasting and Islamic values. Behind the scenes, the program was coordinated and executed by a dedicated team from Radio Kuwait Urdu Service: Aboobacker Payyoli (coordinator), Anees Backer and Barkat Khan (sound engineers), Nida Mirza and Razia Ashraf (announcers), ensuring a smooth and high-quality transmission throughout Ramadan. The initiative was supported under the leadership of Sheikha Shejoun Al-Sabah, Director of Programs, Foreign Services, Shejoun Al-Marshoud, Supervisor of Programs, Foreign Services, and Essa Abdulrahman Al-Kandari, Supervisor of Coordination and Follow-Up, Radio, Directed Foreign Programs. Following the broadcast, a prize distribution ceremony was recently held at the Ministry of Information, honoring the winning institutions that took part in the competition. The results were as follows: 1st Position: Indian Muslim Association (IMA) 2nd Position: Pakistan English School & College Kuwait (PESC) 3rd Position: International School of Pakistan (ISP) 4th Position: Islamic Education Committee Kuwait (IEC) The event was graced by Sheikha Shejoun Al-Sabah, Shejoun Al-Marshoud, and Essa Abdulrahman Al-Kandari, who presented awards and appreciated the efforts of all contributors. 'Anwaar-e-Ramadan' stands as a testament to Radio Kuwait's commitment to promoting faith-based learning, community engagement, and spiritual enrichment for the people of Kuwait.
India Today
28-04-2025
- Business
- India Today
UPSC 2024 sees more repeat candidates: How re-attempts are changing the game
The Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 results reflect a trend that has been steadily gaining momentum: a significant proportion of successful candidates are not first-timers. In fact, 13 of the top 25 rank-holders in this year's final list had previously qualified the exam in one of the four preceding years. Their return signals a broader shift in the preparation landscape-one where strategic re-attempts are becoming not only common but highly Pande, Co-Founder & CEO of Civilsdaily, highlights a key shift in UPSC 2024: repeat candidates are not just returning, but thriving. Their success signals a new era where strategy, mentorship, and smart recalibration matter more than REFINEMENT OVER REPETITIONIncreasingly, candidates undertaking second or third attempts are doing so with clear intent: to secure a better service, land a home cadre, or transition into coveted roles such as the Indian Administrative or Foreign Services. What these outcomes suggest is the growing importance of strategic refinement over brute-force repetition in preparation strategy. And for future aspirants-especially repeaters-personalised mentorship, real-time feedback, and targeted course correction may well be the most effective PREPARATIONOne emerging model that addresses this need is mentorship-led preparation, where guidance comes from recent rank-holders or Mains-qualified candidates. These mentors bring a practical understanding of the exam's evolving demands and are able to offer insights that go beyond the generic advice common in traditional coaching. Rather than focusing solely on content, these mentorship frameworks help aspirants identify preparation gaps, track progress rigorously, and adjust strategies in real GUIDANCE OVER TRADITIONAL COACHINGadvertisementThis model of mentorship-closer in spirit to peer guidance than to conventional classroom instruction-has emerged as a powerful counter to the legacy coaching. Where the traditional approach tends to emphasise coverage and repetition, mentorship grounded in real exam experience emphasizes personalised goal-setting, feedback and course correction. It is this shift-from teaching to guided self-improvement-that is enabling a growing number of aspirants to succeed in just one or two attempts, in contrast to the five-to-seven-year journeys that were once considered the BEHIND THE TRENDThe success of such recalibrated efforts is increasingly visible in the data. This year, 283 candidates on the merit list-approximately 28%-had already been recommended by the UPSC between 2020 and 2023. Of these, 166 appeared just last year, highlighting the rise of "upgrade attempts." These are not driven by desperation but by clarity of them, 34 secured ranks within the Top 100, reinforcing the potential benefits of experience when paired with a focused re-attempt strategy. Notably, 82% of these repeaters were on only their second attempt, showing that it's not repeated failure, but smart recalibration that can change AS AN ADVANTAGEWhat's notable is not just the volume of returning candidates, but the quality of their outcomes-and what that means for others in the fray. These repeaters are no longer passive participants re-entering the system-they're active, informed strategists who've already experienced the pressures of Mains writing, interview boards, and sometimes even training edge lies in nuance: they know how to navigate the subjective terrain of essay writing, how to manage optional subjects strategically, and how to handle stress in high-stakes FOR FIRST-TIME ASPIRANTSThis creates a new dynamic, particularly for first-time aspirants, who are now competing with individuals who've already been through the grind-and the best way to stay competitive is to learn from such seeking guidance from those who've faced the pressure, cracked the code, and navigated the unpredictability of the exam, first-timers can not only understand what to study, but also how to stay mentally resilient and strategically sharp throughout the the 2024 results highlight a deeper truth: the UPSC exam is no longer just a test of subject knowledge-it's a test of strategy, agility, and the ability to pivot. For future aspirants, the question is no longer just what to study, but how to prepare-and most importantly, who is guiding that Watch
