It’s an honour to take over as the ADG/Director of CRPF Academy, a premier Institution mandated basically to conduct basic training of Directly Appointed Gazetted Officers of the CRPF besides conducting other Trainer Development Programmes. Keeping pace with growing requirements of basic training of Gazetted Officers of the force due to its fast expansion, the academy has trained 1918 Officers so far. Till the date, 178 Gallantry Medals awarded to its alumni - 02 Kirti Chakra, 10 Shaurya Chakra, 03 President Police Medal for Gallantry and 163 Police Medal for Gallantry amply reflect the standard of its training.
The CRPF being the largest Paramilitary Force and Nodal Internal Security Force having multifarious roles/duties, it is incumbent on the Academy to train these young officers ofcutting-edge level to face diverse Internal Security Challenges with adequate skills and composure. Force being fully committed in dealing with diverse Internal Security Duties, these officers are to be deployed for operational duties immediately on passing out. Therefore, basic training requires to be coupled with practical training to meet field expectations. To achieve this, our training endeavor must strive to create visible bridges between skill building, core competencies and performance management. We must strengthen our continuous learning strategy which implies that the mission of the CRPF Academy is not only to close gaps but also to prepare visionary leaders.
As far as techniques of training are concerned, CRPF Academy inevitably operates in present environment having new challenges and opportunities in the field of training. Nevertheless, we still must meet standards that have not changed, such as engaging participants, creating an environment that encourages learning, risk taking, practice and checking for understanding. We must continue to provide balance between learning and evaluation where risk taking, problem-solving abilities could be nurtured.
The trainees joining for basic training today are no longer a homogenous group regardless of similarities amongst the participant’s job classification or skill profile. It is becoming increasingly important to consider a training audience as a group of unique individuals who will make their own judgments about training’s mission and learning outcomes and to discover how best to meet individual preferences in group settings. Trainees are influenced by prior learning experiences, variety of different/extended workplaces, value propositions behind every training, personality development goals etc. Therefore, we must shape, regularly review our delivery, content and objectives based on organizational priorities/requirements.
Needless to reiterate that in rapidly emerging Technology and social milieu, we must continue to reinforce the scientific, integrated HRD methods in the Academy which will result in planned growth, development, efficiency, transparency, use of latest technology, accountability for better utilization of resources so as to synchronize the training systems and procedures with contemporary trends. We must also endeavor to inculcate organizational pride and self-esteem in these youngsters to promote integral core values of a uniformed and disciplined organization like CRPF.
"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."
