Foundation Course (15 Weeks)
This Course is for Officer Trainees of the All India Services viz the Indian Administrative Service, the Indian Police Service & the Indian Forests Service; the Indian Foreign Service and various Central Services (Group-‘A’). Run once a year usually from September to December, it marks the commencement of training of candidates selected by the UPSC. At current levels of recruitment, some 650 plus candidates drawn from across the above Services undergo the FC each year at LBSNAA and Partner Institutions. As the Officer Trainees are fresh entrants, the focus is on familiarizing them with the environment of political, economic, social and administrative issues through a well-defined syllabus. This equips them with requisite skills, knowledge and attitudes to shoulder the responsibilities of a public service officer. The Academy stands out as one of the very few institutions in the world with focus not only on Civil Service capacity building but also inter-services camaraderie and cooperation. The raison d’etre of a common FC is to instil a shared understanding of government and build camaraderie among the civil services for smoother conduct of the affairs of the Government.
The Foundation Course is designed to serve the following objectives:
i. Orient Officer Trainees to the administrative, social, economic and political environment of the country.
ii. Generate awareness of the challenges and opportunities within the Civil Services,
iii. Promote overall development of personality traits of the Officer Trainees: intellectual, moral, physical and aesthetic,
iv. Foster greater coordination among the members of different Civil Services by building esprit de corps.
Curricular inputs are given in various subjects of social, economic and political importance like Political Science, Law, Management & Behavioural Science, Public Administration, Economics, History & Culture and ICT besides lectures by eminent persons from social, political, cultural and economic walks of life.
Teaching a language is an important component of the training at the Academy. With the exception of those Officer Trainees who have to compulsorily learn Hindi, all others are required to opt for one of the languages that are on offer. The All-India Service officers have to opt for the language of the State cadre they are allotted to (in case such allotment is made prior to the Foundation Course). Normally the languages offered include: Assamese, Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Telugu, Manipuri, Oriya, Punjabi, French and English.
The FC encompasses a wide array of co-curricular activities that include:
i. Short weekend treks: in first four weeks
ii. High Altitude Trek: 1 week
iii. Village Visit: 1 week
iv. Fete
v. India Day
vi. Athletics meet
vii. AK Sinha Memorial One Act Play
viii. Homi Bhabha Science Debate
ix. Extra-Curricular Module
x. Activities by Clubs and Societies
xi. Literary Festival
Trek
Literally, the trek is, the high point of the Foundation Course. It is a memorable and a joyful journey. During the trek, the Officer Trainees go out into the Himalaya. The Academy makes all the basic arrangements like transport, boarding, lodging besides helpers and guides who are trained Para-military force jawans. The teams are provided with lifesaving medicines, sleeping bag, rucksack, GPS/Compass equipment, VHF handsets and any other equipment of necessity. The concerned District administration also provides the necessary support through block level/tehsil level officials. The faculty and doctors also visit the teams at various locations to guide and assist the OfficerTrainees during the trek.
The trek attempts to foster a spirit of adventure and love for flora and fauna; promote esprit de corps and camaraderie among fellow Officer Trainees and improve self-esteem and understanding of each other making for lasting friendships.
Village Visit
The Village Visit Programme is an important component of the Foundation Course. Officer Trainees are taken to rural areas and exposed to the realities and complexities of rural life. The Officers are expected to gain a first-hand understanding of various programmes/schemes during the course of their stay in the villages. Simultaneously, the Officer Trainees look to learn from initiatives and best practices that have succeeded opportunities that have been utilized and interventions that have worked. The Trainees submit a report on villages visited by them covering various aspects like poverty, inequality of opportunities and lack of access of various facilities in rural areas.
The villages visit aims at achieving the following:
1. Assess the socio-economic-political dynamics that exist in a village;
2. Recognize the importance of the need to learn from the villagers in evolving people based solutions to local problems;
3. Evaluate the spatial and temporal changes that have occurred in the village in terms of quality of life resulting from Governmental and non-Governmental interventions .
4. Evaluate the working of various village level institutions, formal and informal, in terms of participation and effectiveness;
5. Organize a cleanliness drive under “Swachh Bharat Mission” with the help of villagers and the district administration.
6. Understand and analyse the problems faced by the rural people especially the marginalized sections such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, physically challenged old, poor, landless and women.
India Day
The culture, customs, arts & crafts and cuisine of the diverse regions of the country are displayed through outdoor and indoor activities by the Officer Trainees during India Day. A virtual microcosm of India, it helps build pride in the country’s rich heritage besides sensitizing the OTs to the rich traditions of regions other than their own.
