Despite gloomy picture projected by JVP :

Undergrads happy with leadership training

By Omar RAJARATHNAM

Almost two weeks into the commencement of the first ever residential leadership training program for new university entrants, pessimism from various stakeholders is still rife. The program which is being conducted in over 28 islandwide centres run by the Defence Ministry will cost the Government Rs 90 million.

I have not attended the training program and I do not want to, a Colombo University student told the Sunday Observer. The Ministry is trying to intervene with the norms of university culture and I think this will strip the university of its identity.

We are told that the training program instills discipline in students. Education in itself is the greatest discipline one can achieve, why are we not credited with that? This training program is going to limit student potential. It encourages students to think within organised boundaries and it promotes anti-intellectualism. I know everyone will condemn what I have said because they think we have a bad attitude. I am not opposing it, but I criticise the move, he said.

A group physical activity

This student claims that he is not aware of what goes on in the training facility but he confesses to hearing a lot of negatives from his colleagues who apparently have spoken to a few of the student inmates. A clean slate only encourages scribbles, likewise an adult with an overdose of methodical and systematic habits will only create a theoretical leader and the training encourages exactly that, he said.

Another graduate from the Colombo University questions, "None of the professors and other erudites from our university system in the past were given this type of leadership training, then why not leave the current student generation alone and focus on the country's development?

A young lecturer from the Kelaniya University says that parents are expressing discomfort over the idea of having to send their daughters to a residential program away from home. Sri Lankan parents are protective of their daughters, I guess our culture is such, so I understand why they think it is risky to send their girls away from home. Further, they are of the opinion that there is a rigorous military training given to the girls and they are uncomfortable with it. Personally, it is something welcoming and I would have liked to be involved with something like this when I was entering university. But it is better late than never, he said.

Attitudinal change

Another graduate from the Peradeniya University who is currently employed in Colombo says that as a former student who was ragged viciously, he encourages this training which will drill some discipline. Some students of universities are too boisterous and I was a victim of it. When I questioned their acts four years back, they said it was part of the university culture. My parents did not invest their sweat and blood on my education to see some arrogant seniors rag me in the name of student culture. This type of training initiates attitudinal change. I am not from the city but I would have liked to receive leadership training before venturing into the corporate world and I am glad my successors are having an opportunity to pursue what I was deprived of," he said.

The reality

We visited the Army Physical Training School at the Panagoda Army Camp on Friday to experience the activities carried out. Eighty six entrants made up of 42 males and 44 females had enrolled for training and they were receiving instructions on resuscitation as we entered. They subsequently participated in a lecture on narcotics delivered by the OIC Training, Police Narcotics Bureau I.P.Amunugama.

Physical training is a focal part of the training and so is teamwork. A new university entrant from Ja-ela who is undergoing training said that his learning was not just academic at the facility. "It is universal. I learned to be patient and tolerant which today's youth lack and then tips on nutrition and physical fitness. The best part is that it was all offered free of charge," he said. Second officer in command and staff officer of the school Major H.M.M.H.K Dharmasena affirms that the training will churn out holistic graduates who will leave the school with a pool of skills before they enter their universities. "Being away from home is not easy, students resort to drugs to overcome the pressure and loneliness of living alone and this type of lecture on drug prevention helps them be better informed. We are aware of the hue and cry over it but the students here have benefitted from it so far," he said.

Q: Some reports mention that students are offered military training and some refer to it as leadership training, what exactly does the training program entail?

A: It entails leadership activities and is conducted in an army camp. We instill some military discipline in the students - punctuality, organisation, neatness and cleanliness to name a few but at no point are these students expected to undergo training with weapons. So there is nothing to worry about. The Army is one of the best places to learn discipline - everything has a method and a time. Personality development is an integral part of the training too. We teach them how to walk, talk and give them tips on general conduct. This increases their confidence and ensures we have both educated and well behaved and conducted graduates. What is there to oppose in this?

Q: Another big concern is the safety of female students, what facilities are in place to facilitate it?

A: The female students are always accompanied by our female staff, they are given dorms which are occupied by only females. Only certain training activities necessitates them to come in close contact with the male students such as in leadership exercises. We are training students here to be fit for the wider world so we cannot eliminate contact between the two genders but I can assure that the inmates are well protected.

Q: Some students we spoke to doubt that there is a political agenda. How will you counter that?

A: These students are the cream of the intellectual future generation of the country. Manipulating them is out of the question. They will finally choose what they want to be part of. They have a good head above their shoulders and we cannot manoeuvre it the way we want to. We can only guide them in the correct direction. There is a student who is unable to participate in the physical exercises, so we let him observe. There is no militant compulsion here.

The current trainees have expressed that the training has been beneficial to them, so far. It may or may not relate to the relevant academic areas they pursue but the training will be of benefit to them for the rest of their lives. So for them this is time well invested.

On June 13, they will complete their training and disperse to enter their universities. They can use their learning for self development throughout their academic tenure. With this training we are aiming at generating an educated student population that can gear up for change, have a positive attitude and contribute to the country's growth.