SJU holds Veritas lecture on ‘career and legal literacy’

Chümoukedima, March 30 (MExN): The Department of Political Science, St Joseph University (SJU), Chümoukedima hosted its sixth annual Veritas lecture on the topic ‘a conversation on career and legal literacy’ on March 26.

The resource person, Imnalensa, IPS, DIGP (Trg), Chümoukedima structured his lecture into three sections - career opportunities, his experiences as a Union Public and State Public Service Commission aspirant and Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act (NDPS). 
On the career opportunities, Imnalensa outlined the various exams such as the Defence Exams, UPSC, SSC, banking, and NPSC. He dispelled the misconception that only the brightest students or top achievers succeed on the various exams. Using both his own experience and the biopic movie 12th failed, the IPS explained how, despite being an ordinary student, he was able to pass one of the hardest exams thanks to his grid, perseverance, and hard effort. 

Therefore, he remarked “success will not be determined by your intelligence but rather by your level of passion and diligence in pursuing your objectives.” Stating that undoubtedly there will be obstacles in the way of achieving our goal, Imnalensa exhorted the gathering “not to be deterred by setbacks but to keep going and never lose sight of their objectives.”

He noted that it is meant to inspire pupils to believe in their skills, even in the face of scepticism from others. He also made the point that since the government cannot employ everyone; we must go outside of government employment mentality. For those who dare to dream, there are countless opportunities in the private sector in the twenty-first century.

The resource person also discussed the threat posed by drugs, particularly to Nagaland's youth, and in doing so, he listed the different penalties outlined in the Drugs Act. He urged the young people to abstain from drug use and to attempt to get back up after falling since it is never too late to make a change and get one's life back on track. He also mentioned the government's efforts to raise different legal awareness campaigns and programme among the Nagaland populace.

Finally, he emphasised that regardless of whether we work for the government or the private sector, we can all change the world via our actions and efforts. “There will undoubtedly be issues and problems in our lives as well as in our society, but that should not be a justification for our shortcomings. It is important to develop the habit of overcoming all obstacles and difficulties life presents and making a constructive contribution to the advancement of positive social change,” Imnalensa added. 

The lecture was followed by question-and-answer period during which the faculty and students engaged in discussing issues such as political pressure in public administration, the general public's awareness of the law in Naga society, and how to handle success and failure in life.