In a novel gesture to provide a holistic learning environment for the civil service aspirants who receive coaching at the varsity’s Residential Coaching Academy (RCA), Jamia Millia Islamia here has opened a separate hostel for them. The 154-seater hostel, constructed at a cost of Rs7 crore, was inaugurated by University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Ved Prakash on Monday.
The RCA, which is run by the Centre for Coaching and Career Planning of Jamia, provides coaching for civil services examinations to 200 students belonging to the minorities, SC and ST communities while 50 seats are reserved for girls. The students are selected for the free coaching through a national level written test followed by individual interviews. Hostel accommodation, too, is free for the selected candidates. So far, the students were given accommodation at the different varsity hostels depending on the availability of seats.
“RCA will become a flagship institution in the country in the near future to train students from humble origins and weaker sections of society such as SC, ST, minorities and women,” said Jamia Vice Chancellor Talat Ahmad. Ahmad also underlined the importance of teaching and research and exhorted faculty members and students to engage in research activities that would help them get fellowships, which would enable them to become first-rate teachers.