Introduction
It is generally felt that the best training in any civil service can be provided by the actual performance of the jobs for which the service exists. Much time can, be saved by providing a certain amount of the basic training to shorten and facilitate the process of learning by doing. Such basic training would have to be both general and special (i.e., relevant to the needs of particular services). The general part of the training would consist of basic knowledge which all higher level public servants should possess and the special part would cover a study of Acts and Rules relating to particular services. It was felt that it was necessary that officers of the higher services should acquire an understanding of the constitutional, economic and social framework within which they have to function as it would be directly related to policy and programme formulation and implementation with which officers would be concerned. They needed to have some knowledge of the entire machinery of government and its various departments including their inter-relationship. Emphasis would have to be placed on the need for coordination, cooperation and understanding between the various services at the outset of their career which would assist in developing a common outlook and a common understanding of the fundamentals of administration.
On April 15, 1958, the Home Minister announced in the Lok Sabha the proposal to set up a National Academy of Administration where training in foundational and fundamentals subjects would be given to all recruits to their senior grades of services. The Foundational Course commenced on 13th July, 1959 at the I.A.S Training School, Metcalfe House Delhi, with 115 officers. Simultaneously with the commencement of the foundational course, the Ministry of Home Affairs decided to amalgamate the I.A.S Training School, Delhi and the I.A.S Staff College, Shimla and to form a National Academy of Administration at Mussoorie. The Academy started functioning in Mussoorie from September 1, 1959.
Location
The Academy is Located at Mussoorie, a hill station at a height of little over 6580 ft. above sea level. Mussoorie is at a distance of 35 Km. by road from the rail head at Dehradun and is approximately 270 Km. north of Delhi. The Academy is housed in what was previously the Charleville Hotel built around 1870, which has been purchased by the Government. This provided the location and initial infrastructure for the Academy. There have been subsequent expansions. Several new buildings have been constructed and others acquired over the years.
Faculty
The Academy has a directing staff of 18. Which consists of a Director, Two Joint Directors and Deputy Directors. The directing staff is drawn from the ranks of serving civil servants from the various services. The Director is a senior officer of the rank of an Additional Secretary to the Government of India and the Joint Director is of the rank of a Joint Secretary to the Government of India. The Deputy Directors are of the rank of Deputy Secretary/ Director to the Government of India. The Directing staffs are concerned with the organization of training courses and the overall administration of the Academy. They are responsible for guiding the probationers and helping them to develop as good civil servants. In addition to this they also do a considerable amount of teaching in the field of Public Administration. This includes delivering lectures and holding discussions with small groups of probationers. They also exercise general supervision over the running of the Academy and the various extra-curricular activities in the Academy.
The teaching staff consists of Professors, Readers and Language Instructors. The teaching staff is drawn partly from the Universities and partly from among ranks of civil servants. With the exception of Professors of Law, the majority of the teaching staff is drawn from the universities. These posts are filled either by taking them directly on the Academy staff or by drawing people for limited periods on deputation from the universities. In the case of Professors of Law, however, since the content of the training is designed to provide probationers with knowledge of practical application of law, the posts are filled from amongst District and Sessions Judges.
Recruitment to the ranks of the teaching staff is done through the Union Public Service Commission except in the case of the Instructors for P.T and Riding who are selected and appointed by the Academy.
Academy also has a good complement of administrative; ministerial and support staff.
Campus
The Academy is spread over three sprawling campuses: Charleville, Glenmire and Indira Bhawan. Each has its own specific orientation. Charleville caters to training of fresh entrants as well as customized courses. Glenmire houses the National Institute of Administrative Research (NIAR), a Research & Development wing of the Academy and the Indira Bhawan campus offers facilities for in-service training, other specialized courses, programs, workshops and seminars.
Strategy for Training
The effort of the Academy is to help create a bureaucracy that commands respect by performance rather than through position. We interpret the Constitutional mandate for civil servants as one that promotes empathy for the underprivileged, commitment to the unity and integrity of the nation and rule of law, a promise to uphold integrity and impeccable character in a manner that they appear as role models for the large number of subordinates working with them and for the society at large; a respect for all castes, creeds, religions; and, professional competence. We also try to learn from the experiences of bureaucracies in other countries that have helped in the achievement of economic progress, growth with equity, and human wellbeing.
About the Courses
A number of courses are conducted in the Academy every year. Among these the Foundational Course is essentially knowledge centred; the professional programs are fundamentally skill oriented and the In-Service Courses are centred around enhancement of policy formulation capabilities for assuming senior positions in Government.
Research Units at LBSNAA
