National Cadet Corps revising its curriculum to meet modern needs, says Director General

NCC modernizes training curriculum, emphasizes community service, and increases vacancies in adventure activities nationwide, including Kerala.

The National Cadet Corps (NCC) is in the process of modernising its training curriculum to make it “more contemporary and meet the aspirations of the cadets,” Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh, Director General, NCC, said on Wednesday.

Speaking to The Hindu during a visit to Thiruvananthapuram, he said the revisions would be introduced soon. The NCC is placing added emphasis on community service in its training. The students’ force, the largest of its kind in the world, has also increased vacancies in adventure activities. “We have introduced simulators for activities like firing, flying, and rowing. We are also contemplating the inclusion of drone training for the cadets,” he said. Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh was commissioned into the Parachute Regiment of the Indian Army in 1987. He took charge as the 34th Director General of the NCC in September 2021.

“We are constantly in touch with the cadets on what they want to do. For instance, they wanted some introduction into skills training. So we got hold of agencies that offer it and provided them with an introduction,” he said.

The NCC recently increased its strength to 17 lakh nationwide, but the waiting list continues to be a long one, according to Lieutenant General Gurbirpal Singh. At the moment, 21,000 schools and colleges across the country have NCC units. Around 10,000 more are on the waiting list, including in Kerala, he said.

“We will increase the strength as and when the expansion plan is approved. The numbers are still being decided,” he said. The NCC had increased its strength by about three lakh in the most recent expansion. One lakh cadets were added, including in Kerala, under a special programme aimed at enhancing the NCC’s reach in coastal and border areas of the country. (The decision to raise four new units in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — announced in January 2024 — came under this scheme.) Two lakh cadets were added under the NCC’s Fully Self Financing Scheme (FSFS).

In Kerala too the NCC has a “healthy waiting list,” Lieutenant General Singh said. The recent expansion saw the cadet strength in the State go up to 96,000. The NCC Director General said the organisation ensures equal opportunities to boys and girls. “Our girl cadet strength is close to 40% at the national level. We give equal opportunities; put in your effort and excel,” he said.