Chennai, July 24: Veranda RACE, a Veranda Learning enterprise, has entered a Memorandum of Understanding with Dr. Rajkumar Academy for Civil Services, marking the strategic integration of the two institutions. The agreement covers academic operations, brand stewardship, government and institutional partnerships, and the continuation of DRACS’ social-impact initiatives under the Veranda RACE umbrella.
Over the past nine years, DRACS has established itself as a recognised coaching institution for UPSC, KAS, KPSC and other State Public Service Commission examinations from its centre in Vijayanagar, Bengaluru. Named after the late Dr. Rajkumar, recipient of the Dadasaheb Phalke Award and the Padma Bhushan, the academy has built a strong reputation among civil services aspirants and the wider community. Veranda RACE brings to the partnership its academic expertise, technology-enabled learning ecosystem and operational scale.
The collaboration will also continue DRACS’ longstanding institutional relationships, including partnerships with departments of the Government of Karnataka, UNDP, UNICEF and several non-governmental organisations.
Members of the Dr. Rajkumar family will serve as Official Goodwill Ambassadors, while flagship community initiatives such as the Prithvi Scholarship Test and the ‘Be a Scribe’ programme will continue with due recognition to the family’s role in founding and nurturing them. Commenting on the partnership,
Santhosh Kumar, CEO, Veranda RACE, said,
“Karnataka has long been one of India’s key centres for civil services preparation, producing generations of capable administrators and public servants. DRACS has earned the confidence of students and stakeholders through years of consistent academic work and meaningful community engagement. By bringing together their local credibility and our academic and technology capabilities, we believe we can widen access to quality coaching and create stronger outcomes for aspirants across the state.”
Yuva Rajkumar, Founder of DRACS and grandson of Dr Rajkumar, said,
“For our family, DRACS has always stood for something larger than an institution. It represents an enduring commitment to education, opportunity and public service, values that were deeply important to Dr. Rajkumar. As we looked ahead, our priority was to find a partner that would preserve this purpose while taking the institution to a wider audience. We believe Veranda RACE has the experience, scale and academic focus to build on that foundation, while ensuring that the initiatives and ideals that shaped DRACS continue to benefit future generations of students.”