FPJ-Ed: Freshers to avail facility, repeaters asked to vacate seats at Civil Services Residential Coaching Institute at Haj House in Mumbai

Senior aspirants are no longer permitted to reside and study at the Civil Services Residential Coaching Institute at Haj House Mumbai, which is managed by the Ministry of Minority Affairs. . The CEO of the Hajj Committee of India, Yaqoob Shailk, issued the older candidates a notice to vacate the premises to accommodate the new batch of students.

Muslim participation in the Civil Services is generally low, the coaching - institute was founded to assist Muslim candidates through competitive tests. The center's performance has risen significantly in recent years, with many of them getting through the UPSC examinations.

The MoU for the academic year 2020-21, reads that the HCI(Haj Committee of India), Mumbai will provide coaching to 50 Muslim students for Civil Services sponsored by the council, and further the Central Waqf Council (CWC) included 50 more students making it a count of 100.

The students believe that allowing seniors to stay and study on the premises during their multiple attempts at UPSC exams was essential for the success and that keeping the premises exclusively for freshers when there is sufficient capacity for both batches, will be detrimental to the cause of increasing Muslim representation in civil services.

UPSC Aspirant who wishes to stay anonymous said, "Most aspirants, attempt more than once. We were asked to vacate just after the Mains were conducted on January 16. We had requested to stay on till our next attempt."

The Maharashtra Activists Forum has also written to the CEO of the Haj Committee requesting the use of the full facility for freshers as well as repeaters in Haj house to make their future bright and extend the benefits of already built facilities of aspirants. The letter also demands restarting mess food subsidy for all candidates.


When questioned, Yaqoob Shaikh, CEO of Haj House Mumbai, stated, "We only allow students for a year. Our goal is to rotate individuals so that newer aspirants get the opportunity to use the facilities. Around 65 students have reported for this year's batch, with the remaining students expected to arrive soon. The method is not intended to replace students; rather, it is intended to provide chances to new aspiring students."

He further stated, "The ministry has sanctioned 100 people this year, and we cannot go against the regulation to grant the demand. Concerning the previous scenario, I'm not sure how many students were assigned to the premises. I've been a member since September."