GS4 · UPSC Mains

You are a government official supervising the maintenance and upkeep of juvenile rehabilitation centres all over country. You are a strong advocate for preventive services such as counselling and parenting skill education as an alternative to the placement of neglected children in rehabilitation homes. You have convinced your minister about the stand and he has taken a public position on the same and declared that he will scrap the scheme of rehabilitation homes altogether. Believing that a reputable study of the cost-effectiveness of preventive services would bolster your position, your department enters into a contract with a top university to conduct a series of evaluation studies. The first study involves a controlled experimental evaluation of government sponsored preventive services. To your dismay, the findings show no evidence that preventive service is a cost effective alternative to placing children in rehabilitation homes. You are worried that the results, if published, would not only compromise the position of the minister but also yours. What will you do in such a situation? Some of the options are given below. Evaluate the merits and demerits of each of these options and suggest what course of action you would like to take, giving reasons. 20 (a) Keep silent on the report and continue advocating your stand with the minister. (b) Cancel the contract with the university and conduct a fresh study with a new agency. (c) Report the results to the minister and follow his orders. (d) Conduct further research and be prepared to accept the results and declare them publicly.

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