https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Why this IAS Officer Loves to Spend his Saturdays with Young Students

2019-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, G Surya Praveenchand, holds interactive sessions with young students to remove their confusion on career-related issues. He especially guides them on how to choose the right career and clear competitive exams. He holds these sessions every Saturday in his office and, hence, has named them ‘Saturdays with Students’.
Indian Masterminds Stories

If career counselling can be provided right from the school stage to make young students aware of the various paths before them, it will help them to focus better on what subjects to opt for and what stream to take up. Realising this, young bureaucrats are coming forward to do just that – offer career guidance through interactive sessions with students. One such bureaucrat is Mr. G Surya Praveenchand, a 2019-batch IAS officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre. He has been organising interactive sessions with students on weekends in his ‘Saturdays with Students’.

He interacts with students and their parents in these sessions where topics likes career guidance and education related queries, reforms needed in learning and teaching are discussed freely. He started this initiative in Vijayawada when he was the sub-collector. Now he is posted in Kadapa district as Municipal Commissioner and he plans to start this initiative here, too. Indian Masterminds interacted with Mr. G Surya Praveenchand to know about this initiative in detail.

2019-batch IAS officer G Surya Praveenchand

SATURDAY WITH STUDENTS

He told Indian Masterminds that he started this initiative when he was in VIjayawada as the SDM. Every Saturday from 9.30 am to 11 am, he used to interact with students of different age groups and address their queries, whether it’s UPSC or IIT or any other exam. They used to come to his office with their parents and at times alone, too. They used to call on the given contact number and inform they wanted to come on Saturday for the session with certain queries. Some even joined these sessions randomly.

“We used to have general discussion about how to study effectively at home, what were their aspirations, how to manage studies and sports, etc., and I used to clear all doubts they had.”

Praveenchand with a child

CAREER RELATED QUERIES

However, the officer got transferred from Vijayawada to Kadapa district as Municipal Commissioner, and now, he is trying to start similar sessions with students here, too.

On what kind of questions students asked the most,he replied that most of their questions were career related. Some also asked how they should approach 10+2 examination. Some again about IITs and UPSC exams. Since he himself is an IITian (IIT Patna) and has cleared UPSC CSE, he gladly answers all such queries to give them some clarity on the topics.

“I tell them how to be active in life. How to take care of their health,which is of utmost necessity I and why everyone should adopt one sport as hobby at least. Generally, we have an overall holistic discussion and interactive session with students where they get inspiration and some idea about choosing the correct path and direction in their lives.”

He said that when he was studying, he never met a bureaucrat to ask questions. If he had, it would have been easier for him to remove his confusion regarding the UPSC exam. Hence, now that he is one, he is coming forward to help young students seeking clarity on competitive exams and career paths.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
Nitin Gadkari
India to Become Net Energy Exporter in 6-7 Years, Highlights Hydrogen and Biofuels: Union Minister Nitin Gadkari
Bank of India - BOI
Bank of India Plans to Raise Rs 20,000 Crore via Infrastructure Bonds in FY 2025-26
BEML Limited
For Operational Excellence, BEML Lays Foundation of State-of-the-Art Central Warehousing Centre in Bilaspur
rec-logo
Green Energy Boost: REC Forms New Subsidiary for 3GW Ananthapuram-II REZ Transmission Project
Bhupendra Patel CM Gujarat
CM Bhupendra Patel’s Pro-People Move: Uniform House Tax of ₹200 Annually for Rural Government-Assisted Homes in Gujarat
CM Nitish Kumar
Bihar: Gaya to Become Bihar’s Largest Industrial Township Under AKIC; ₹16,524 Cr Investment Expected
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Why Has the DGCA Fined Air India Rs 5 Crore Since Privatisation?
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
Iran Is Weakest Now, Needs a Face-Saver
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
Retired Officers Lead 7-Day Mission to Revive Betwa River with 55 Check Dams | Video Interview
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Sanish Kumar Singh
“If you want it badly enough, you’ll find a way,” Sanish Kumar Singh AIR 8, UPSC IFS 2024 
The real interview, he says, was much more humane. “The board was conversational. The chairman opened...
Raju Wagh
When the Battlefield Became a Study Room and a Dream Took Flight
Amid IED blasts and anti-Maoist operations in Bastar, CRPF Commando Raju Wagh taught village kids, studied...
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-18 at 10.31
"I Just Wanted to Breathe Again": The Man Who Fought Death and Made It to UPSC
Struck by COVID at the peak of his UPSC prep, Devanand Telgote spent months on ECMO, unsure he'd live,...
Social Media
Shailaja Chandra
“Nanis & Dadis Have a Brain”: Former IAS Officer Shailaja Chandra Weighs in on 1970s vs 2025 Life Debate - “This Generation Has It Better”
Responding to Viral Post on Middle-Class Struggles, Ex-Bureaucrat Offers Candid Reflection on Then and...
Tigress Arrowhead
The End of an Era: A Queen Falls - Ranthambore’s Iconic Tigress Arrowhead (T-84) Passes Away at 14, Hours After Daughter’s Relocation
Ranthambore mourns the loss of one of its fiercest and most beloved tigers, Arrowhead, the granddaughter...
Screenshot 2025-06-13 194001
Wild Elephant Disrupts Riverside Picnic, Sparks Debate on Human Encroachment; IFS Parveen Kumar Shares the Video - Watch Here!
Mr. Kaswan used the viral video, which has garnered over 1.5 lakh views, to highlight the risks of human...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Hindustan Shipyard Limited HSL
PESB Declines to Recommend CMD for Hindustan Shipyard; Ministry May Extend Current Chief’s Tenure
IAS Ajitabh Sharma
“80% of Time Spent on Non-Core Tasks”: Rajasthan Principal Secretary Ajitabh Sharma Questions IAS Work Culture, Calls for Reform
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-25 at 5.07
Former Diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar
WhatsApp Image 2025-06-23 at 12.39
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT