School chain in Chennai trains Class XII students for NDA

CHENNAI: Mock tests for NEET, JEE and the various engineering and medical entrances, you name it and the schools have it. While most city schools are focused on training higher secondary students for professional courses, DAV group of schools has branched out this year to start training Class XII students for the

National Defence Academy

exam.


Class XII students rarely discuss defence as a career. Director of DAV group of schools, Chennai, Vikas Arya attributed this to low awareness. “The number of people getting into the officers category from Tamil Nadu is very low. Only a handful of credible training centres exists in the state. The standards are high and there is a shortage of quality candidates and schools are not talking about it enough. NDA can also be an attractive option,” remarked Arya.

The NDA exam is held twice a year – September and April. The training will focus on the exam in September which is aimed more at Class XII students who have just completed school.

An officer from the OTA posted in Chennai said the awareness levels are much higher in north India. “There isn’t much knowledge regarding what NDA involves, the service selection board or how interviews are held. Even though we take in candidates only at graduate level, the numbers are very low in south India and among the southern states, we get very few from Tamil Nadu while Kerala fares better. Even though there is higher awareness in cities like Bangalore or Chennai, we still dont get much candidates. I think it is also about how much defence is promoted as a career choice in these states,” he observed.

The course which has just begun at DAV is open for students from other schools too and will continue until September 8.

Besides the academic areas, the training will include a series of talks and inspirational lectures from noted personnel in the armed forces. To add a realistic perspective to the course, the school is bringing in in-service personnel.

“The selection process is a rigorous five-day procedure which includes intense physical fitness rounds conducted by the Service Selection Board (SSB). Students need to be made aware of what is involved so experts from outside have been roped in,” said the school.

The school also hopes to carry forward the training candidates who manage to clear the written test.