IAS, OAS officers in Odisha to give classes to UPSC civil services aspirants

The state government has resolved to extend its free Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) coaching programme for aspiring civil service entrants by another year, despite the lack of exemplary results in the past. This decision was reached during a strategic meeting involving vice-chancellors from public universities.

Changes to Improve Effectiveness

Suryabanshi Suraj, the Higher Education Minister, confirmed that although there have been calls to terminate the programme due to its underwhelming performance, the government is set to introduce significant modifications. The aim is to achieve improved results in the next academic cycle.

From the next session, selected candidates will receive instruction from experienced Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officers from the state.

“We are implementing changes now and will maintain the programme for the 2025-26 session to gauge its efficacy,” stated Minister Suraj.

Selection and Support Structure

The selection process for candidates remains the same. Each year, 200 aspirants are chosen through a pre-qualifying exam. The allocation is as follows: General (95), Scheduled Tribes (ST) (45), Scheduled Castes (SC) (32), Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC) (23), and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) (5). The government bears the complete cost of the coaching and provides free hostel accommodation at Centurion University, with classes conducted by a private coaching institute.

Addressing Student Focus Issues

Minister Suraj pointed out the existing challenges concerning student aspirations. “While the coaching is high quality, the primary issue we face is the students' diversion towards Services Selection Board (SSB) examinations,” he remarked. This shift in focus is identified as one of the primary obstacles to the programme's success.