In the UPSC CSE 2022 results, 23 candidates from Jamia Milia Islamia’s (JMI) Residential Coaching Academy (RCA) got selected. The coveted coaching academy produced 23 civil servants last year as well, including the topper for 2021 Shruti Sharma. It is a government-run coaching facility for the students of marginalized, minorities and women groups. The initiative was set up in 2010 by the UGC under the programme of Centre for Coaching and Career Planning. It provides free-of-cost coaching to civil service aspirants along with a residential facility. Till now RCA has produced over 600 officers for Civil Services and other Central and State Services.
Indian Masterminds spoke with Professor In-Charge of RCA, Prof. Abid Haleem about the motivation behind the commencement of this initiative, and how are they so successful. Watch the full video interview with Prof. Abid Haleem:
Admission Process at RCA
Every year RCA take 60 students under its wings for civil services preparation. Its success rate for past years is close to 39 percent – a stupendous task considering how coaching institutes tom tom each selection though they coach thousands every year.
To be eligible for admission to the RCA, candidates must be graduates. The RCA conducts an entrance exam to select its students. The entrance exam is based on the CSE pattern and consists of multiple-choice questions (MCQs). One paper of the exam includes essay writing. After qualifying in the written exam, candidates appear for a personality test. The duration of the test is 3 hours. There is also a negative marking in the paper. For every three wrong questions, one mark is deducted. The interview is of 30 marks. After qualifying the entrance test, civil services preparation is done from here.
The RCA has invited applications for this year from 22nd May up to 5th June. Applications can be submitted online at the RCA website, jmicoe.in. The RCA offers a comprehensive coaching program that includes lectures, tutorials, and mock tests. The RCA also has a library with a wide range of books and journals on competitive exams. The RCA has a team of experienced faculty who are experts in their respective fields.
Private Help Acknowledged
Many of the private coaching institutions claim to have prepared the rank holders. Some of the private institutions claim to have prepared many of the students who actually study from RCA. The Prof responded that these institutions may provide some training to the RCA candidates and use their names for promotions.
He said that the amount of resources at the disposal of private coaching centers are immense while government institutions can’t compete with them on resources. However, Prof Haleem also revealed that many of these private coaching centers help RCA with test series and guest lecturers. Besides, a number of retired bureaucrats and academicians have been pitching pro bono to help these students clear the toughest exam.
