Feature

Cadet Colleges: Where leaders are made

Fayez Uddin Ahamad

Human beings like to see the final stage of a production. For instance, we would want white paper on which we can write rather than the leaves and bushes they are made from. In between initial and final stage of production, raw materials go through many intermediate processes. The quality of the product depends on the sophistication of the intermediate steps. The more precise the intermediate steps are the better the quality of the product. Education institutions are like those machines, which make products. A student enters an institution, goes through processes and finally comes out as a product made by that institution. Like machines the institution, which follow better discipline, makes good products. Cadet colleges are institutions, which can boast for their production.

The first Cadet college namely Faujdarhat Cadet College was founded in the year 1958 by the then military dictator Ayub Khan. At first, the target was to produce worthy military officers from East Pakistan. Colonel Maurice Brown, a man with infinite zeal was the first principal of that college. After its tremendous success in making good army officers and civil society leaders three other colleges namely Mirzapur, Rajshahi and Jenaidah Cadet College were found, letter six and very recently two more Cadet colleges were found. The places where there are Cadet Colleges are Mymensing, Feni, Joypurhat, Pabna, Syhlet, Comilla, Rangpur and Barishal.

Some flavour of barrack life is of course there in the Cadet College because they were meant to produce army officers initially. Cadets have to follow strict discipline from dawn to next dawn. A Cadet has to do many things that an army officer does. P.Ts and drills are just routine activities. In addition to those there are other physical trainings also. Six days in a week during games session Cadets have to take part in games such as football, cricket, and basketball etc. Trying to dose any of those activities mentioned would only ensure rigorous physical punishment that is also an army trend.

Besides physical activities there are also cultural activities to develop mental faculties of Cadets. There held many cultural competitions round the year. Just to name some of those debate, poetry recitation, allocution, and Quran recitation. Producing cultural evening in front of dignitaries is a common phenomenon. These cultural activities help increase the organizing capability of Cadets.

Remaining busy with extra curricular activities is not an extra job for cadets but part of daily routine. But that doesn't deter these invincible people from doing well in both internal and public exams. Here are some statistics of public exams results of the year 2006. In H.S.C 2006, from my college that is from Comilla Cadet College, 47 Cadets appeared in the exam. Among them 44 scored GPA-5. From Rajshahi Cadet College, 50 Cadets got GPA-5 out of 53. Colleges I have chosen arbitrarily, every other Cadet college has more or less same number of examinee and GPA-5s. In total, from ten Cadet Colleges, out of 505, 401 Cadets scored full GPA, which is 79% of the total examinee. Needless to say all of them have passed. In S.S.C the result is even more encouraging. Again from my college, out of 48, 47 Cadets got GPA-5. And again in total from ten Cadet colleges, 493 Cadets appeared in the exam and from them 432 scored full GPA, which is 93% of the total number. While other institutions of the country are fighting for 100% pass rate Cadet colleges are fighting for 100% GPA-5! After introduction of G.P.A system we have been observing a very shocking scene. The tide of praise that Cadets Colleges enjoyed once turned into ebb. The day after the result, newspapers publish “ so and so college has obtained 400 hundred G.P.A 5”. But the success of a cadet college is not mentioned in the same way as used to be earlier. How one cadet college can obtain 400 hundred G.P.A 5s when there are more or less 50 examinee? So, I think, percentage should be the determining factor not the total number.

Cadet colleges are one of those very few institutions, which have maintained same education standard for nearly half a century. Numerous leaders were made, both in armed forces and civil society. They are working in their respective fields both at home and abroad successfully. There are two Rhodes scholars from Bangladesh and both of them from Cadet College. This is one of the most prestigious scholarships in the world. Former U.S president Bill Clinton is one the recipients. So, Cadet colleges even produced Bill Clinton standard leaders! Shouldn't there be more Cadet Colleges? What do you think?

Current institution: North South University
Ex-Cadet: Comilla Cadet College