Terrorism threat: Govt mulls restarting NCC, civil defence training

NCC training, given to intermediate students, was discontinued 15 years ago.

LAHORE:

In the wake of December 16 terrorist attack at an army school in Peshawar, the government is considering a proposal to restart the National Cadet Corps (NCC) training at the college-level to train students in how to act in an emergency situation, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Requesting anonymity, a senior government official told The Express Tribune that the Senate’s Standing Committee on Interprovincial Coordination (IPC) had last year recommended reviving the NCC at college level to encourage students to learn effective handling of emergency situations and maintaining peace.

“The proposal was for all the four provinces. After the Peshawar incident, it is being seriously considered,” the official said. “There is a need to train our students in civil defense and equip them with knowledge of how they can protect themselves and rescue those around them,” he said.

NCC training was available at colleges during the 1980s and 1990s. Students could register for the training on a voluntary basis. It was abolished 15 years ago (the last batch completed its training in 1999). Those who completed the training were given 20 marks for admissions at the next level.

IPC Standing Committee chairperson Senator Farah Aqil said that civil defence training should be provided to students as well as citizens. “We gave our recommendations last year. Now I will once again convene the meeting of the committee and review steps taken in this regard. NCC, scouting and civil defence training should be compulsory at colleges and schools,” she said.

Punjab Professors and Lecturers Association (PPLA) president Dr Zahid Shaikh said that NCC was abolished during former president Pervez Musharraf’s rule. “It had been very helpful. The training sessions were spread over two years,” he said.

Shaikh said the training could be restarted with some amendments to relevant laws. “Civil defence training for school students should also be started once again,” he said.

“Civil defence training or community policing will also have a psychological impact on the students. They will feel more confident in tackling any emergency situation,” said Dr Asir Ajmal, a noted psychologist.

“If a person has received rescue training, he or she feels more secure and confident. Closing educational institutions is not a solution. We can improve the institutions’ security and also make the students feel more confident and responsible by training them,” Ajmal said.

Parliamentary Secretary Rana Muhammad Arshad said that the provincial government had instructed the schools to improve security. He said that the issue of restarting NCC and civil defence training for students would be discussed once the educational institutes reopened. “A final decision will be taken then,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2014.