THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state-owned Kerala State Civil Service Academy in the capital, is no more a popular destination for UPSC aspirants with its success rate dwindling over the years. The Centre for Continuing Education, Kerala (CCEK), under the Department of Higher Education runs the academy. As per the details available, the Academy’s enrolment has come down significantly.
In 2016, the Academy produced 57 civil servants. Of these, 12 students had undergone training for only the prelims-cum- mains course. The remaining had joined the academy for mock interviews. In 2017, only 32 students cleared. Of these, only five students had attended the prelims and mains courses here. In 2018, the figure remained 32. Of these, only six students studied for prelims - mains. About 33 candidates from the state cleared UPSC last year.
There are allegations that the institution is run based on the personal interests of a few individuals and that the institution’s faculty are unqualified. Sivaprasad (name changed), a former student of the institution, said: “Certain subjects are given more importance and the number of lessons allotted to each subject at the staff meeting is often scuttled and clubbed together to dissuade students from attending certain other classes. There were instances where certain important subjects got the last hours of the week or were taken only once in 3 or 4 months.”
A source in the know
alleged that successful candidates register themselves at the academy for the freebies it offers. “All those who successfully complete the written examination invariably register their names with the academy for benefits such as return airfare from Kerala and free accommodation at Kerala House, New Delhi. But many of them have not undergone coaching at the institution,” he said. To raise the profile of the institution, domain experts recommend having a serving IAS officer as the director of the academy and forming an effective academic committee to review the functioning of the academy once in a month.
Meanwhile, Usha Titus, Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, told TNIE that the rise in private coaching centres in the state and in the capital might have affected the popularity of the institution. She said that allegations of mismanagement might be from people associated with private institutions. “Faculty members of the private coaching centres are former students of the academy,” she says. Many private coaching centres were flourishing in the city so many students opt for them, she said. “However, we welcome suggestions for the development of the institution,” she added.