NCC focuses on national unity

by Dhaneshi Yatawara

As the nation rises to a better state it is time for Sri Lanka to focus on molding the future for a stable and peaceful country.

The key is to correctly set the minds of the future generation. Institutes working closely with youngsters have a greater responsibility in this regard. Many of these organisations have not made effective attempts to make the younger generation realise the importance of peace building, reconciliation within this rising nation.

In such a back drop, the Sri Lanka National Cadet Corp (NCC) is geared to train school children who have taken up cadeting as their passion to learn the peaceful way of living.

The NCC has a history of over 134 years. And within those years hundreds and thousands of teenagers have been trained to be courageous, talented multi-taskers.

It added mentally and physically strong people to the country’s youth population. Today, it is travelling to the North and the East looking for the lost friendship.

They have opened up opportunities for more schools from the Northern and the Eastern Provinces to join the prestigious Cadet Corp.

North and the East

Following a directive of the Defence and Urban Development Ministry, the NCC is committed to prepare the future generation to live in a peaceful, reconciled and prosperous Sri Lanka. National Cadet Corp’s has always been aligned with national interest and core values of the country. Thus they have altered their curriculum as well as trainings in accordance.

Maj. Gen. H. M. H. A. Herath

Preparing these youngsters to live in the future in a multi ethnic, multi-cultural society in harmony is a complicated process that needs to be done in a very subtle way.

With the expansion of the Cadet Movement in the Northern and the Eastern Provinces on the instructions of the Defence Secretary, most of the Tamil and Muslim children were given an opportunity to be trained as cadets in the National Cadet Corps, sharing experiences with a sense of comradeship with cadets from other regions. Creating worthwhile leaders to the nation is a critical need in the present context.

Due consideration and opportunity will be given to the Tamil and Muslim children in the Northern and Eastern Provinces in this program while setting up Cadeting units in many schools in these two provinces, according to NCC Director Major General H.M.H.A. Herath.

“Sri Lanka is progressing and in the process of determining how to avoid history repeating itself. I am sure with the changes, the NCC will prepare the future generation to live in a peaceful, reconciled and prosperous Sri Lanka,” Maj. Gen. Herath said.

“The Cadet’s motto is ‘Children are better than parents'.” Thus they look forward towards a more positive future with children of today growing up to become decision-makers in the future. Thus the NCC have now adopted a methodology in youth development and leadership training laying emphasis on peace building and reconciliation.

Training

All cadets have undergone practical and theoretical training in physical fitness, foot drill, weapons training and firing, map reading, field craft, first aid, regimental duties, confidence-building course, leadership activities, fire-fighting and community service.

This will continue to be the same but there will be changes in participants and environment they get trained in as school cadets from the Northern and the Eastern Province schools will also be there.

To carry out day-to-day duties, to build a team they will have to understand each other better. For a teenager, cadeting is tough – which is not at all hunky dory at that age.

The officers are teachers who act as instructors. The NCC also aims at recruiting Sinhala and Tamil teachers to the organisation to have Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim students as cadets. Today, the National Cadet Corps has over 20 battalions located all over the country. The NCC Training Centre in Rantambe is equipped with a state-of-the-art IT laboratory, lecture halls, language centre, lodging and sports facilities and academically and professionally qualified lecturers and instructors to conduct various courses designed for cadets.The National Cadet Corps as a unique formal organisation, plays a pioneering role in grooming future leaders with timely concepts. School boys and girls in government, semi-government and private schools are privileged to be active members in National Cadet Corps, if they are between 14 -20.

Today, more than 70,000 cadets in every corner of the Sri Lanka are being trained. More than 3,000 officers in the Sri Lanka Teaching Service, Principal Service and Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service have been appointed as Commissioned Officers of the NCC.

Though the cadets are not obliged to join active military service, many volunteer to join the armed forces. Therefore, the primary training these teenagers get as cadets is what will mold them to become disciplined responsible citizens.

“We are living in a time when the nation is looking forward to make use of skills, talent, knowledge and expertise of Sri Lankans to take up the development challenge.

Thus youth contribution is essential to be ready to face anything,” said Maj. Gen. Herath talking further on the future of the NCC.Today's exuberant youth are ready to face any challenge.

For Sri Lankan youth the challenge is how to live peacefully and thrive in the future, shedding the myths their elders carried for decades. With the solid training of the NCC that sinks to the bones and muscles of a teenager, Sri Lanka can hope for a significant portion of the future youth generation to be far better off than present-day adults. Children will definitely be better leaders in society than their parents.