Ranchi, May 8: The state government is yet to implement its mother tongue as the medium of instruction in primary schools, but for some tribal youths, their mother tongues have proved to be the passport to get into the coveted state civil services.

Ten Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, who have been selected by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), cleared the examination with tribal languages as their optional papers. The list even includes a non-tribal boy, who opted for tribal language as his subject and cracked his dream.

“My sheer love for my mother tongue inspired me to opt for Kuduk as an optional subject for the civil services exam,” said Ajay Kumar Tirkey of Mahuatarn village in Lohardaga district.

Tirkey, to his credit, has even a collection of 15,000 folklore in Kuduk language, which is awaiting publication. He now wants to use his free time for the development of his mother tongue.

Interestingly, the number of candidates who have cleared the civil services examination through tribal languages this time is four more than last year. Kuduk, however, has proved to be the luckiest language.

Candidates also opted for Mundari, Santhali, Kharia and Ho.

Gautam Kumar Bhagat, a resident of Khunti, who is not a tribal, cleared the examination with Mundari as his optional paper.

“Bhagat has begun a new trend,” said Harihar Singh Munda, a tribal boy from Kamharapa village of Tamad, who cleared the examination with Mundari as optional paper. He said Bhagat took the coaching along with him.

Altogether 47 ST students qualified in the JPSC civil services examination. Their training would soon start at the administrative training institute in the state capital. Around 20 of them were felicitated by Vikas Bharti, a non-governmental organisation.

Meanwhile, even among the newly selected civil servants belonging to the scheduled tribes, a clear difference could be perceived with regard to their aim in life.

“I want to climb the bureaucratic ladder by seriously taking part in internal examinations held for promotions in job,” said Sarika Tirkey, a former student of Miranda House College under Delhi University. She is also a Loreto School alumni in the state capital.

Candidates from rural background, however, exhibited a different approach to their newly found status. “I come from a poor village and serving the villagers is my aim,” said Mangal Oraon, a resident of Chirna village in Lohardaga.