NDA: Declining Contribution of Sainik Schools

Sainik schools decline in discipline and contribution to forces
The Tribune Chandigarh, September 30, 2012 by Vijay Mohan.
Set up to serve as feeder institutes to the National Defence Academy (NDA), Sainik Schools are now under the scanner for more than one reason. A general decline in the percentage of its students joining the NDA, increasing dropout rate and a sudden spurt in disciplinary and ragging cases are among the issues that have brought these institutes into focus.
The contribution of Sainik Schools towards the intake into the NDA has gone down from 30.75 per cent in 2008 to 25.18 per cent in 2011. According to figures listed in the report of the Parliament’s Standing Committee on Defence released last month, these figures were 29.23 per cent in 2009 and 26.17 per cent in 2010.
While there has been a consistent improvement in the schools’ academic performance, a comparative analysis also revealed that on an average, only about 20 per cent of Sainik School students join the NDA whereas in the case of the Rashtriya Indian Military College – which has a similar charter to that of Sainik Schools – the figure was 76 per cent.
One reason for the low intake from Sainik Schools put forward by the Defence Ministry is that students leave the school after their class XII examinations. As they are not under the supervision of the schools, they could have less inclination to write the NDA entrance exam or to appear for the selection interview. Candidates need to pass class XII to join the NDA.
Conceived in 1961 and managed by the Sainik Schools Society, whose board of governors is chaired by the Minister of Defence, the objective of Sainik Schools is to motivate and prepare students to join the armed forces as officers by focusing on moulding and developing their overall personality.
There are 24 Sainik Schools located in 21 states across the country and they are funded jointly by the central and respective state governments. Funding is another issue plaguing these schools with many state governments failing to give due budgetary support.
The dropout rate of students in these schools – having a strength of over 12,000 – has also been fluctuating, moving from 885 in 2008-09 to 843 in 2009-10 and 1,009 in 2010-11. The biggest chunk of dropouts is due to parental requests, which has witnessed a consistent increase, with the figures being 544, 564 and 689 for the aforementioned three sessions.
More significantly, the number of dropouts on grounds of indiscipline saw a spurt from seven and six cases to 60 cases for these sessions. In the past three years, 13 students were expelled and 15 were suspended for ragging. -via The Tribune
Sainik schools decline in discipline and contribution to forces

Indian Army: What the kids miss?

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A PURE BREED FAUJI KID IF:
1 You were born in a Military Hospital
2 Half your toddler years were spent being looked after by Bhaiyas (no explanation here)
3 You went to school either on Bhaiya's cycle or in a Shaktiman
4 You know what a Shaktiman is. ( No! it isn’t the TV serial about half man and half machine starring AB lookalike)
5 Jeeps & Jongas don't excite you- they were your regular mode of transport!
6 The only alternative to the Central School was the Army School
7 You always called Kendriya Vidyalaya Central School. Gosh even today that sounds better!
8 Your entire family could survive in one room temporary quarters with 25 trunks, wooden crates, the dog, the bedroll and two bhaiyas flitting around
9 The smell of Brasso & shoe polish was regular staple
10 Mess was not what you created in your room, it was where you went every Friday for the free "English" movie
11 The "English Movie" was very often a western and you couldn't follow a word! Sometimes you just went for the samosas and the local drink that they insisted was Cola
12 At the end of the month your dad had to pay for many pink slips showing how many samosas and local drinks that they insisted was Cola you had consumed. They never missed any!
13 You attended many May Queen Balls before you knew what Miss India was
14 Your mother regularly got dressed, perfumed and disappeared for the Ladies Club
15 You knew towns like Mhow, Wellington, Deolali and Bhuj
16 You weren't a millionaire but hey you had Swimming, Horse Riding, Squash, Tennis and Golf!
14 You thought the main reason to have a Golf Course was to have a Holi Bash
15 You can still take one quick look at the epaulets and figure out the rank
16 You discussed Wednesday's Chitrahaar in the Shaktiman
17 You can still recall the special & particular smell of the CSD canteen! A special prize for the correct concoction- mine is- it was a mix of Hamam Soap, Ponds Dream flower Talc & Surf I think. In some corners it had overtures of Brooke Bond red Label as well
18 Your vacations were a package deal consisting of D-forms, Sharma Uncle Ka jonga and Arty Mess ka kamra

With Warm Regards,
Col RP Chaturvedi

Indian Army's Changing Face

The Article by Manoj Joshi is 10 years old but today even more relevant. One of the thrust of the Article is that there has been considerable intake from what we call ‘lower middle class’. May it be suggested that this is not a new phenomenon. However, it is true that earlier larger number came from well to do families than these days.

The British had established RIMC and KGRIM. While the former had cadets from richer families the KGs mostly had wards of JCOs and OR. Many generals and other officers who did well during wars were from KGRIM!!

If a ward of a JCO, NCO, taxi driver makes it to the NDA/IMA/OTS, he/she have to have special qualities. They obviously have talent, will power, self confidence, brains and leadership qualities to overcome the short comings if any in their upbringing. After all they made it, beating thousands from better off families, during the tough and unbiased selection process and later in various academies! Gen Kyani, Chief of Pakistan Army is son of a JCO!!

It is for consideration that in today’s consumerism society, many of the wards of the neo rich will not be fit for the Defence Services. They will not be attuned to discipline and hard military life. The Defence Services require a hardy, tough human being and those who have had to struggle in childhood are likely to have such inherent qualities. May be that such officers can empathize with the soldiers better!!

They may be at a disadvantage initially, but the training in NDA/IMA/OTS polishes up most of the cadets. Later it is up to the senior officers in units to bring up their officers. True the family back ground will have some continued effect but gradually it will wear off. Social graces, living standard etc are also important but over emphasis on these is not justifiable.

The real test/evaluation of performance would be to analyze the back ground of bravery award winners (PVCs, MVCs, Ashok Chakras, VrCs, SMs etc) officers. My hunch is, quite a few of them will be from what is termed ‘non affluent/lower middle class’!!

Not with standing the above, there is no doubt that diluting status and Izzat of the Defence Services, lesser pay, very hard life, frequent postings in non family stations, large number being left out for ranks higher than a Lt Col due to very narrow pyramid, do inhibit certain spectrum of young men and women from applying for the Defence Services. This needs to be rectified expeditiously.

Jai Hind.
Harbhajan Singh
Lt Gen, PVSM
Former Signal Officer-in-Chief
Readers may send in their comments on the Article---Indian Army's Changing Face by Mr Manoj Joshi
Blog Link: Indian Army's Changing Face

Joint Training Indian Army Vs Chinese Army

This video is an eye opener. We need a younger Army with younger officers to Command. There is urgent need for all Sainik Schools to be training Soldiers and not churning out Bureaucrats, Businessmen, Engineers, Doctors or Politicians. The country needs top class leaders. Talent from Sainik Schools should be solely utilised for the Armed Forces.

Matyrs Kin who received Ashok Chakra

Three Army personnel who were awarded the coveted Ashok Chakra, all posthumously, by the President of India on the Republic Day on 26 Jan 2008. These are Col Vasanth V, Captain Harshan R, and Naib Subedar Chuni. These awards were announced last year and received by their next of kin.

Col Vasanth V of 9 Maratha Light Infantry laid down his life in a fire fight when he was personally leading an operation to flush out militants near Uri town in Jammu and Kashmir. He succumbed to his injuries before he reached the hospital. He is survived by his wife Subhashini, two daughters Rukmini and Yeshodha and parents Mr and Mrs Venugopal.

Col Vasanth went to school at many places in Karnataka as his father was working with the LIC. His schooling took him to Mangalore, Ooty, Udupi, Shimoga, Bangalore etc. He graduated from MES College, Bangalore. He was an ardent NCC Cadet and had also participated in a Republic Day parade at Delhi. He also visited Canada on exchange programme through the NCC.

Even as a youngster, he had expressed a desire to be in the army. Being a bright student, he had got selected to do an MBA in the prestigious IIM, but he chose to go to IMA, Dehradun as a Gentleman Cadet.

Col Vasanth – a true idealist and a man of peace – was proud to be an officer of the Indian Army till the very end. He was no armchair idealist. He read widely about military histories and strategy and would take great care to analyse the inscrutable choices that armies have made in history. He attended many seminars and talks, and listened with care to the many different voices of our nation. He was genuinely motivated by sacrifice. He was excited about commanding the 9 Maratha LI and thrilled that he would be joining them on the frontline. For Vasanth, his lifetime commitment was simple – his word and his honour. His personal life always came second.

In 1997, during a discussion with his wife, Subhashini, a Bharatnatyam dancer, Vasanth expressed that there are a lot of people speaking about the soldiers but not many who try to depict the life of the women in their lives. He felt that she should use her talent and her experiences to tell the story of the army wife. This gave the birth to The Silent Front, an organization dedicated to the widows of martyrs. Mrs Suhasini will receive the award bestowed on the gallant officer from the President. The award received by his wife, Mrs Subhashini.

Captain Harshan R was born on 15 Apr 1980 at Manacaud, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. An alumnus of Sainik School, Kazhakootam, National Defence Academy (Khadakwasla) and Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, Capt Harshan R volunteered for the Special Forces and was commissioned into 2 PARA (SF) in Dec 2002.

As is known from his Academy days, Harshan was both mentally and physically an outstanding officer. The officer excelled in all his courses, with a special mention to his excellent mountaineering skills which helped him to do exceedingly well in High Altitude Warfare Course. Amongst his other skills, the officer was an under water diver and an excellent cross country runner.

Capt Harshan was a tough officer blessed with uncommon tenacity which reflected in the operations conducted by him and his relentless pursuit of terrorists in the harsh confines of Lolab valley of J & K. The officer established his reputation when in the beginning of Mar 07 he single handedly eliminated two terrorists in an operation that included two top leaders of Hizbul Mujahidin of North Kashmir.

On 20 Mar 2007 the officer received specific input regarding presence of a group of hard core terrorists in Chhoti Margi area of Lolab. Without waiting a moment and despite continuous snowfall the officer rushed to the area with his troops and laid cordon of the house in the early hours of the morning. Taking advantage of a pitch dark night and poor visibility, the terrorists attempted to break cordon. Four terrorists rushed out firing and virtually came face to face with Capt Harshan. Despite being outnumbered Capt Harshan killed one terrorist on the spot, and at the process the officer received a gun shot wound on his neck and fell down. Despite his grievous injuries, the officer continued to engage the remaining terrorists before succumbing and in the process wounded a third terrorist. His valour and supreme courage inspired his colleagues to eliminate the remaining two terrorists in the same operation, one of whom was wounded by the officer. His award received by Mr K Radhakrishnan Nair, the father of this brave officer.

Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, who received Vir Chakra and Sena Medal for gallantry in earlier operations was born on Bhaderwah in 1968. During training he excelled in military subjects, displayed courage and camaraderie and showed potentials of a true soldier and joined 8 JAK LI (SIACHEN). In 1985, when he was a Sepoy, Chuni Lal volunteered for and played a crucial role in capturing the now famous Bana Top (21,153 ft) on Siachen Glacier. For this act of gallantry he was awarded Sena Medal. He became an example to emulate when in Poonch during OPERATION RAKSHAK he fought an attempted intrusion and was instrumental in beating back the attack killing 12 of the intruders. He was awarded Vir Chakra for this act of gallantry.

An asset to the organization, he represented Indian Army twice as United Nations Peacekeepers in SOMALIA in 1992 and SUDAN in 2006. He again displayed his utility and unflinching devotion to duty while serving in the difficult operational situation of Sudan as a peacekeeper. He was at the forefront in the Malakal crisis for which the battalion was awarded United Nations Unit Citation for valour. He excelled professionally and also did instructor tenure at NCC Officers Training Academy, Kamptee.

On 24 June 2007 on information about likely infiltration in Kupwara Sector he re-sited ambushes to block all escape routes. Leading from the front Naib Subedar Chuni Lal, out-maneuvered the terrorists. By killing three terrorists himself, he inspired and facilitated his small team to kill all other terrorists. The twice-decorated hero displayed exemplary gallantry courage of exceptional order and made supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Army. The award bestowed on him received by his wife Chintha Devi.

Credit: Press Information Bureau of India

Capt Sunil Kumar Chaudhary, was killed on 27 Jan 2008 fighting insurgents in Assam a day after being awarded the Sena Medal, was cremated at his home town in J and K with full military honours.

Chaudhary was killed Sunday afternoon in a counter-insurgency operation in Barapathar village in Assam's Tinsukia district. He had killed two militants of the 28 battalion of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) even after being shot in his neck. He later succumbed to his injuries. Chaudhary was named a recipient of the Sena Medal for gallantry in the awards announced Friday on the eve of the country's Republic Day.

"The award was for an operation in Nabjothi (also in Tinsukia) in July last year in which two militants, including self styled Sgt. Palash Moni, an action group commander of ULFA, were killed," the statement said.

Son of a serving Indian Army officer, Lt. Col. P.L. Chaudhary, Sunil Kumar's brother Ankur is an officer in the Indian Air Force. Chaudhary completed his early education at the Kendriya Vidyalaya, Bangalore, graduated from Pune University and was a post-graduate of Garhwal University in Uttarakhand. Commissioned from the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun into the 7/11 Gorkha Rifles on Dec 10, 2004, Chaudhary had excelled in platoon weapons and machine gun courses at the Infantry School, Mhow. Before moving to counter-terrorism operations, he was posted at Kolkata.

Submitted by Mudassir Rizwan on Mon, 01/28/2008 - 11:38. India News By IANS

Manning Shortage another viewpoint

Lately, the media has been awash with reports of just 86 cadets joining the Indian Military Academy at Dehradun against a course strength of 250. And, instead of 300 applicants, just 197 boys turned up at the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla, at Pune.
These media reports also highlighted the staggering number of officers who have sought premature release. Worse, this knell has rung at a time when the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force combined are already crippled by a shortage of 14,060 young officers. This should worry not just the ministry of defence but the nation, too, for like nation-building or statecraft, the war machine too depends on mettlesome leadership to deliver results. And young officers are the sword-arm of any force.
This plight has been blamed on the usual welter of reasons: unattractive salaries, tough working environment, limited growth opportunities, dimming respect for the Armed Forces in the society and a green civvy street.
Also, there were reports of the army chief hinting at conscription as a way out if the trend snowballs into a crisis. Given that conscription is an unworkable doctrine in India, I believe the allusion was the army chief's oblique attempt to remind the Sixth Pay Commission of the desperate straits he is in. Earlier, Defence Minister A K Antony had urged the Pay Commission to issue bumper pay-packets so as to help in retaining those itching to leave and to entice bright youngsters into signing up.
In short, both the defence minister and the army chief have apparently exhausted other options and have pinned their hopes on the Sixth Pay Commission to stem the peacetime attrition. What if the Pay Commission misfires? After all, Pay Commissions are a typical governmental exercise in jugglery, so it's foolhardy to be bullish about its sixth avatar being Santa Claus.
Let me be less sceptical and assume that the Sixth Pay Commission will shower manna on the services. Let's also assume that the brightest lads, unable to resist the alluring emoluments, flock to the armed forces' training academies. What if they lack the hardiness to endure the physically exacting regimen of military life? My point is: You need certain attributes to be an officer and a warrior, and many bright sparks need not have it in them to be service officers. The right recruits are those with an innate desire for soldiering and the capacity to endure hardships.
Though the intake to the corps of officers has been on the wane, the UPSC and the SSB (Services Selection Board) have not compromised on their standards; they continue to pick the right material. Had it not been the case, our army would have begun crumbling in the nineties under the onslaught of the inimical elements in J&K and the Northeast.
No doubt, the men and women serving in the forces need to be remunerated handsomely. But to zero in on paltry salaries as the sole reason for the jam is like mistaking the trees for the forest. I believe the solution lies in catching them young and priming them up to become the 'right material'.

Sainik Schools
The make-up of the officer cadre of the Indian armed forces a decade after Independence was disquieting for a Republic still writhing from the throes of its birth. It was a monopoly of the patrician, blue-blooded alumni of public schools and the so-called martial races -- the 'more-than-equal' gentry who had little in common with the men they led.
The officer cadre patently lacked the grassroots character and ethos of the newborn nation and needed to be 'Indianised'. The infrastructure to nurture the essential levels of physical, mental and intellectual calibre for induction into the officer cadre was found wanting in common schools. Since public schools were beyond all but the affluent, in 1960, then defence minister VK Krishna Menon envisioned Sainik schools -- at least one in each state -- to select boys from across the spectrum through an open entrance examination and to rear them for leadership in the armed forces.
The Sainik schools were modelled on public schools minus the elitism and snobbery. The syllabus-examination approach- the bane of our education system- was cast aside. These schools would aim at all-round development to enhance competitive and survival skills, and to foster personality development subliminally. To ensure mainly smart boys from the economically backward bracket joined these schools, the states were mandated to provide merit-cum-means scholarships. The campus life would be free from communal and social bias, and insulated from the rumpus that bedevil student life outside.
Given their background and grooming, they would identify themselves with the men they command. Sainik schools would thus serve as feeders to the National Defence Academy and the three service academies.
Did it work? Of course. The Sainik school cubs had their baptism of fire in the 1971 Indo-Pak war and emerged with flying colours. Remember how the young officers led their troops upfront, uphill, undauntedly through the cannonade to recapture the Kargil massifs? And last year, General Deepak Kapoor, a Sainik school product, took over as the army chief.

Some More History
The call to establish an Indian military college to raise an army officer cadre on the lines of the Royal Military Academy (Woolwich, later Sandhurst) and the United States Military Academy (West Point) was made in a Congress resolution way back in 1887. This demand was renewed subsequently at the Indian National Congress session of 1917. These ultimately led to the institution of the Indian Military Academy in 1932. This is a testimony to the vision and quality of leadership during the freedom struggle. Madan Mohan Malaviya confirmed this when he argued in the legislative assembly in 1928: 'The question whether a military academy shall or shall not be established is a question of life and death to the people of this country. The whole question of future government in this country hangs upon that question.'
This shows our leaders of yesteryear -- including the much-maligned Krishna Menon -- were tall visionaries compared to the present lot. Our unconcerned polity and their vision deficit are responsible for nudging the three services to the precipice, perhaps the consequence of defence ministers being appointed for reasons of narrow politics than their grasp of matters defence.

Solutions and Suggestions
1. In the past two decades, the profile of those joining the officer cadre and the students entering the Sainik schools has changed. Earlier, sons of officers followed their fathers' footsteps into the officer cadre. No more. Now boys from a lower pecking order are the ones joining the service academies, a sign of social mobility up the ladder.
As for Sainik schools, initially boys from indigent and not-so-rich background made it, but gradually they were replaced by those from the better-off stratum. Two reasons: one, in quest for sound education; two, given the steep rise in the fees, only the well-heeled could afford education in Sainik schools. Thus, Sainik schools, once acclaimed as the poor man's public schools, became unaffordable to the poor man!
Since the economic boom in the nineties opened several avenues, since their parents were paying up the fees, their wards were not motivated enough to see the armed forces as their profession. Naturally, the tally from Sainik schools dipped. Setting this right is a solution to the intake-deficit ailing the services.
The need to nurture and maintain the talent pool and its cost are an important dimension of overall defence planning. If the government is canny, it would regard the 22 Sainik schools (plus the five Military schools and the Rashtriya Indian Military College at Dehradun) as the catchment area-cum-nursery of the 'right material' not only to overcome the present shortfall of officers but also as an inexhaustible wellhead for future officers. The annual overhead of the 22 Sainik schools is nearly Rs 80 crores. That is less than 0.1 percent of the defence budget (Rs 96,000 crores for the year 2007-2008). The ministry of defence should pick up this tab as grant-in aid, not as largesse but as sagacious investment.
With aspirations booming proportional to the GDP growth, defence planners need to target the section of society likely to see becoming service officers as upward mobility and select boys from this segment to the Sainik schools. If 20 to 25 percent make it to the academies, the services will never face a shortage of officers. As for the rest, they will serve the country in other capacities. This will also accomplish the upliftment of those languishing on the margins of our society. Hence, the Centre footing the bill will provide a fresh lease of life to the Sainik schools currently fighting a battle for survival, with phenomenal returns on this investment. A win-win scenario. In brief, rediscover the Sainik school to bridge the shortfall.

2. The National Cadet Corps needs to be made universal and mandatory for two or three years at the school level. NCC, besides doing the students a world of good, should inspire a few to join the services.

3. Because of an article penned by this writer that appears in the Standard X English textbook in Maharashtra, I have had the opportunity to interact with thousands of students in the past 12 years. Many boys and girls had expressed their desire to don the uniform but, shockingly, most of them did not know how to go about it. Hardly anyone had heard about the various service academies. At a time when the services have to compete fiercely with the rest to attract talent, not hardselling the defence forces surely earns a C minus. As they say, if the mountain will not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain.

4. As retention of officers is getting difficult by the day, it's time to rewrite the manpower policies so as to swell the cadre of short service officers. Many out there may be willing to serve the forces for five years.

5. Lastly, many officers have sought premature release for reasons other than lucre. Like elsewhere, corruption has been corroding the vitals of the services, and the skeletons tumbling out apace have severely dented its image. Few will be tempted to prefer a career in the forces if the slide downhill is not undone. It's time for the top brass to set the house in order. Besides, the services need to frame a modern appraisal system to ensure that only the deserving ascend the totem pole.

Flt Lt M P Anil Kumar (Retd)
A Former Indian Air Force Pilot
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Flt Lt Anil is a quadriplegic staying in the paralegic home at Kirkee, near Pune. He is one of the oldest inmates. This officer became a quadripligic in an accident ( Not plane accident). The only mobilty he has of the neck and hence he operates a computer with the help of a small stick, held in the mouth. He is a genius and writes well. His lessons in English is prescribed for x std students of Maharashtra. This young officer in his thirties is an inspiration to all living beings. All those dejected of life should learn from him, how to cope with adversity in real life.

PT Gangadharan
Brig (Retd)

Can Retired Officers Contribute

The Indian Army is short of twenty percent of its officer strength, and is considering conscription as a solution. The air force and navy are also short, but only by 12-15 percent. But it's not just officers that are hard to get and keep. Technical specialists are in short supply, which is a growing problem as the Army adds more high- tech gear. The basic problem is that the army must compete with the civilian economy for highly trained or educated personnel. The Army maintains high standards for officers, thus trying to eliminate the shortages by more aggressively recruiting young JCOs/ NCOs for officer candidature from Army Cadet College, which has not really worked because many of them cannot pass the entrance exam.

The Sainik Schools are a system of schools in India conceived in 1961 by Krishna Menon to rectify the regional and class imbalance amongst the officer cadre of the Indian armed forces. The inspiration for Sainik Schools came from the Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) which have given India many service chiefs and the public school system of England. Sainik schools can be regarded as the ordinary citizen's public school where deserving students can get high quality education irrespective of their income or class background. The Sainik schools contribution towards Officer cadre is discouraging if not dismal.

The result is best demonstrated by looking at who applies to what school. The elite Indian Institutes of Management gets 200,000 people applying each year, for 1,200 slots. The Indian Military Academy gets only 86 seats filled for 250 vacancies. (The statics may vary depending on cadets who actually report to/ withdraw from the Academy)

The Indian military has long been an all-volunteer force, and had no trouble filling the ranks. But over the last two decades, as the government dismantled controls on business, and privatized many government owned companies, the economy has boomed. There are not enough qualified technical and management people to fill all the skilled jobs. India has been looking at how other nations solve these problems. They have noted American success in outsourcing a lot of support jobs. This is almost a necessity with some high tech specialties, where even civilian firms face shortages. Another American technique, cash bonuses for jobs with shortages, is more difficult as it hampers Modernisation of the country's Armed Forces.

The Nation has a vast reservoir of Retired Officers, can their services be utilised to tide over the present shortages? Can some of the Support Jobs be outsourced to Retired Ex Servicemen?