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| Sunday, 21 September 2003 |
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127 graduates to receive degrees on Sept 24 by Don Asoka Wijewardena
Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy will be having its annual convocation on September 24 under the patronage of President Chandrika Bandaranaike. One hundred and twenty seven gruadates, including two from Bangladesh will receive their degrees at the ceremony. Annually,it also invites the governments of SAARC countries India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan to nominate two defence personnel for the degree programmes. The Academy has its origin in former Prime Minister Sir John Kotelawala's keen interest in improving the training of officers attached to the Army, Navy and Air Force to international standard. He donated 48 acre land and the Bangalow at Kandawala, Ratmalana to the then government to establish a defence academy. In appreciation of his magnanimous gesture, the Academy was named Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy.
The Academy is empowered to award degrees in defence studies under the Defence Academy Act No. 68 of 1981 and subsequent amendments were made to successfully complete the academic and military components of studies pertaining to the degree programmes. Engineering degree programmes are of four-year duration and the others are of three-year duration. Air Vice Marshal Guy de Silva, the Commandant of the Academy, said that the academy had already produced around 1174 graduates in various specialities as fully-fledged officers to work in any area of Army, Navy and Air Force operations and added that the mission of the academy was to educate, train and inspire the Cadets to a lifetime of dedicated service in the defence of the nation and to promote leadership skills and intellectual growth combined with professionalism. The training system of the Academy is mainly based on three important aspects: character,military and academic. Character development is of special concern as it is a prerequisite of an officer and a leader. This is done through various means such as rewards, punishment, motivation, delegation of leadership and lessons on leadership and lessons on leadership qualities. Every Cadet is assessed for character throughout their training and it carries a considerable weightage in their final overall assessment.
Director of Academic Studies, Prof. H. H. G. Seneviratne said that a panel of lecturers from state universities in Sri Lanka were invited to deliver lectures and presently the practical component of the engineering degree programme is conducted at the University of Moratuwa laboratories under the supervision of the Dean and the Academics of the faculty of engineering.
Advanced military training programmes will be provided at the respective military academics of the Army, Navy and Air Force as determined by the Board of Management. In military training programmes drill, weapon training, map reading, field craft, standing orders, introduction to service, service etiquettes, service writing, theory of small arms, leadership, air warfare, maritime warfare, joint staff and spare are taught to all Cadets in one to two years duration. KDA also provides facilities for engineering practicals and computer science which are compulsory for all Cadets. The laboratory complex consists of mechanical, thermo-dynamics and auto, materials, electronics, electricals, soil mechanics, chemistry and physics laboratories. It has also an engineering workshop, an aeronautical engineering laboratory with multi-media facilities, library and auditorium. |
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