Participants during the competitive exam career guidance session held at the AIDA campus, Dimapur on February 20.
Dimapur, February 20 (MExN): ANMA Integrated Development Association (AIDA), through its Don Bosco Job Placement Network, Dimapur, organised a Competitive Exam Career Guidance Session on February 20 at the AIDA campus, aimed at providing clarity, direction and practical strategies to young aspirants pursuing careers through competitive examinations.
The programme was designed to guide, motivate and equip participants with insights into major competitive examinations, including the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Joint Entrance Examination (JEE), National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC), among others.
The session commenced with an inaugural address by Rev Fr Dr Roy George SDB, Executive Director, AIDA, who welcomed the resource persons and participants. In his address, he highlighted AIDA’s vision and ongoing initiatives for youth empowerment, with special reference to the AIDA Don Bosco Competitive Examination Self Study Centre. He said the centre was established to support aspirants from Dimapur by providing a conducive environment and essential learning resources for competitive exam preparation. He also formally welcomed the resource persons for the programme.
Dr Anna Lungbila Bibiana, HRD Manager, AIDA Dimapur, felicitated the resource persons- Cheenu Singh, Rehabilitation Counsellor associated with the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the Directorate General of Employment through the National Career Service Centre, and Rev Fr Dr A J Sebastian SDB, retired professor and former head of the Department of English at Nagaland Central University.
Singh initiated the technical session with an overview of the competitive examination landscape in India. She explained various stages, cut-off marks, preparation methods and common challenges associated with examinations such as UPSC, SSC, JEE, NEET and NPSC. Drawing from her personal experience of clearing the SSC examination, she encouraged aspirants to view failures as learning opportunities and stepping stones to success.
This was followed by a session by Rev Fr Dr A J Sebastian SDB, who spoke on effective preparation methodologies, strategic planning, disciplined time management and the importance of self-study.
Emphasising self-confidence and consistency, he also extended personal counselling support to aspirants. He elaborated on insights from his student guidebook Groom to Bloom, highlighting memory enhancement techniques and a holistic approach to personal and academic growth.
During the interactive question-and-answer session, the resource persons stressed regular reading habits, staying updated with current affairs, practising online MCQ tests and referring to standard newspapers and magazines.
Delivering the vote of thanks, Sebi Chacko, Programme Coordinator and AIDA–JPN Project Coordinator, expressed gratitude to the resource persons and highlighted the facilities of the AIDA Competitive Examination Self Study Centre. He said the library, open to all aspirants, offers UPSC, SSC and CDS preparation books, question banks, solved papers, NCERT textbooks and relevant magazines.
The event reaffirmed AIDA’s commitment to guiding and empowering youth to build informed, disciplined and purposeful career pathways through competitive examinations.
