(Above) Students at a (below) private coaching institute for civil service examinations at Kalpana Square in Bhubaneswar. Pictures by Ashwinee Pati

Bhubaneswar, June 13: Utkal University, the educational hub of the state, has produced scholars in various fields, including many officers in the Indian Administrative Services (IAS). But over the years, there has been a decline in the number of aspirants from this university who have been able to crack the IAS entrance examination.

Keeping in view the dearth of coaching institutes for IAS aspirants, the university authorities have decided to come up with an IAS coaching centre.

The post-graduate council of the university recently passed a resolution to this effect. The new coaching centre would be set up in a public-private-partnership (PPP) mode, which would provide quality coaching at nominal fees.

Prasant Kumar Sahoo, the vice-chancellor of Utkal University, said the coaching centre would be established “very soon”.

He also assured that it would help economically backward students who could not afford private coaching classes within or outside the state.

The PG council was also contemplating to get the franchise of a reputed IAS coaching centre in the country to ensure quality teaching.

Communicating this decision, P.K. Sarkar, chairman of the council, said: “Unlike private coaching centres in the state, we would make sure that students get the best coaching facilities by paying minimum fees.”

He added the selection of the coaching centre for franchise rights would be done after a discussion with the students of the university.

The students seem pleased with this move. “I am very excited about the new IAS coaching centre.

“The administration’s decision to involve the students in the selection of franchise is a positive step. The classes would give us the requisite exposure with high-class faculty members,” said Tanmay Swain, a final-year student of personnel management and industrial relations (PMIR).

This decision was also welcomed by the alumni of the premier university.

“Earlier, the university students used to excel in IAS exams even when there were not enough coaching institutes.

“But in the course of time, competition got tougher and the university students failed to shine and the trend of attending coaching classes has caught up,” said Rajeev Kumar Behera, who stood 46th in the Orissa Administrative service (OAS) in 2006.