Catching up with the trend the world over, the National Defence Academy (NDA will introduce a five-day week regime.
KHADAKWASLA (MAHARASHTRA): Catching up with the trend the world over, the National Defence Academy (NDA), which trains cadets to eventually serve as officers in the Indian defence forces, will introduce a five-day week regime from the new term beginning in July.
NDA authorities took the decision taking a cue from similar training academies of the US, where the five days a week system is already in place.
“We wanted to give the cadets more time for study. We will be giving them out more projects that will require a lot of research,” an NDA official said.
The idea is to make them more responsible without putting them under pressure. To compensate on the extra holiday, one period has been increased on the weekdays.
“On Saturdays, the cadets will be required to work on their projects and prepare for any upcoming competitions," said an official, requesting not to be named.
“During these days, instructors will not tell them what to do, instead they can work on their weaknesses with the help of the instructors,” the official added.
The idea came up after NDA Commandant Air Marshal T.S. Randhawa visited three academies of the US armed forces in April.
The decision is one among the array of changes to be introduced at the academy.
Soon the NDA cadets will also be given specially manufactured laptops for use in the classrooms though the machines will have no memory.
“We will be introducing e-learning as and when the campus area network is activated. Through this, the cadets would be able to access the presentation shown to them in classrooms and do research on any topic,” Randhawa said.
Physical training for the cadets will also be made more stringent.
“Swimming and physical training tests will be made more stringent to raise the standards of the cadets and to increase their efficiency. At present about 99 percent of the cadets coming to the academy do not know swimming,” an official said.
Currently, it is mandatory for the cadets to clear all tests.
The cadets have been imparted the specific service training only for six months. However, the period will also be increased to one year.
Besides, the NDA is also making changes in its syllabus according to the changing requirements.
“The Chinese language is being taught in NDA and nuclear physics has also been introduced in the classes,” Randhawa said.
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