NCC elective under CBCS fails to take off in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad: In what could be called as a shocking scenario, the education departments and universities in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have been sitting on a file relating to the implementation of National Cadet Corps (NCC) as a general elective in the educational institutions for the past five years.

It may be mentioned here that NCC is one of the world's largest youth organisations started under an act of parliament in 1948. The NCC activities for the past seven decades have been introduced in the educational institutions as part of the extracurricular activities.

Thanks to the proactive pursuit of Director-General of NCC and the decision of the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) that it has decided to introduce NCC as a general elective for the students like any other subjects.

As part of the same, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked the universities and educational institutions to implement NCC as a general elective credit course under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS) in 2016. Specifically, it has asked the officials handing the Rashtriya Uchchattar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) at the State-level to interact with the State governments to facilitate the implementation of NCC as general elective credit course in the State varsities and colleges with NCC units.

The elective is spread over six semesters with 24 credit earnings. For this, the students will have to undergo 82-hour theory and 128-hour practicals. Also, a specialised subject (Army) for an additional 38-hour of theory and 52-hour of practicals they have to attend. In all, a student enrolled in the NCC general credit course will have to complete 300 hours of both theory and practicals. Further, the student will earn one credit against a 15-hour theory and one credit for a 30-hour practical class.

National integration, personality development, leadership, disaster management, social service and community development, adventure, environmental awareness and conservation, general awareness, border and coastal areas are part of the theory and tutorials. The practical aspects cover drill, weapon training, social service and community development, health and hygiene etc. The specialised courses cover map reading, communications, infantry weapons, fieldcraft and battle craft, theory of military history etc.

According to the joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Defence, in a letter to his counterpart in the MHRD, the Ministry has highlighted that despite the directions there were only 55 colleges and 17 schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education that have taken up NCC as an elective subject in the country.

Further, he expressed disappointment how the State education departments have not introduced the scheme in the government schools.

Credits for their performance as part of the NCC has been the long demand by the NCC cadets and the students who are interested to join the same. Further, the NCC general elective course will also help the students obtain academic credit for NCC training in addition to acquiring valuable NCC 'B' and 'C' certificates. The certificate holders are given preference in the admissions into various courses and also for employment under the NCC quota both under the State and Central government departments and organisations.