Presidency introduces ‘Competitive Edge: Preparing for Civil Services’ course
Kolkata: In one of the many value-added certificate courses that are going to be offered at Presidency University, the authorities have decided to introduce a five-month certificate course on ‘Competitive Edge: Preparing for Civil Services’.
The course will be taught both online and offline, and the course coordinator is the assistant professor of the university’s political science department Dr Tanwir Arshed. It will be taught once in a week, starting from August 17 for a fee of Rs 7,200. It will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm.
The civil services coaching at the varsity is not something new. Before this professors used to contribute and coach students aspiring to be civil servants. But this was discontinued under mounting pressure due to the introduction of a semester-wise system which led to faculties being overburdened with completing coursework in a shortened period.
This is being revived in the form of monetised certificate courses after University Grant Commission (UGC), a regulatory body, instructed the varsity to introduce certificate courses to help students, who may not be a part of the university, come and get skilled education for a fee.
“We have kept the timings after office hours so that more participants can join the course and benefit from it. The course will not just be taught by a few of the departmental professors but also by teachers from different parts of India including Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai and Rajasthan,” Dr Arshed said. This is part of social responsibility from the university’s side, he added.
On whether more value-added certificate courses will be added from the department in the coming years, Dr Arshed said that it depends on participation. Minimum 15 to 17 candidates need to participate in the course while the upper limit has been kept open. “This is just the beginning, we may add two to three more courses next year depending upon the participation,” he said.
The objective of the course is to provide students with the best possible platform to prepare for civil services. It will cover all major key concepts of Indian Polity and Global politics. The course also entails a mock test every week and a mock interview session at the end of the course. Modules will include Political Thought and Theory, Indian Constitution and Institutions, Comparative Politics as well as International Relations and World Politics.
The other certificate courses introduced by the university include courses on the Persian language, Sanskrit language, mathematics, intercultural performance making, Rabindra Sangeet appreciation, personality development and emotion management, amongst others.
