Excellence in education: Preparing a new generation of Afghan Army Officers for success

Story and photos by Army(CAN) Capt. Christopher D. Poulton

NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan Public Affairs

 

 

 

 

Sponsored by the Turkish Army since 1933, the Kabul Military High School is considered the finest educational institution for boys ages 13 to 17 who aspire to one day join the Afghan National Army as officers.  The esteemed institution focuses on preparing the cadet students for further education at university, the National Military Academy of Afghanistan, Officer Candidate School, or the United Kingdom supported Officer Academy modeled after the British Army’s officer training institution, Sandhurst.

The Officer Academy is scheduled to be built between Fall 2013 and Spring 2014, just in time for this year’s tenth grade class to graduate.  It’s estimated that there will be 600 cadets graduating at that time with a forecasted 60-80 graduates pursuing officer training through the Officer Academy.  “The Officer Academy will concentrate on leadership, and educating very good military officers,” said British Brig. Gen. James Stevenson, NATO Training Mission – Afghanistan Army component commander.  “The Officer Academy can provide a very attractive alternative to four years of (university) training.” 

The goal is to develop strong leaders that go in to the Afghan National Army and make a successful career without taking a degree.  The Officer Academy will be more practical, and focus on leadership, tasks, and test the character of the cadets and their military command potential.  All of which is linked to academic ability, but not dependent on it in the same ways a degree course would be.

 “The advantage is that you’re able to join the army as an officer much more quickly after one year, not four years,” said Stevenson.

Post-secondary education is highly valued in Kabul and graduating cadets find themselves competing against other graduating high school students from private and public schools throughout the country for enrollment in university courses.  Currently, the high school passes about 250 cadet graduates per year.  Last year, 26 of them passed the very competitive entrance exam for the National Military Academy of Afghanistan.

The staff and teachers at The Kabul Military High School are committed to the successful learning of the cadets providing the best possible environment for academics and athletics. “Our school is very disciplined,” said Afghan Brig. Gen. Shour Ghoul, the school’s ANA commandant.  With a sound education program, the school’s faculty works hard to make it the most popular in Afghanistan.

Ghoul also said that in early July the high school was selected to host an army-wide sports tournament of more than 300 athletes from all over Afghanistan but a flashflood storm caused damage to the fields and the tournament was canceled.   The high school’s cricket team was hoping to compete with new cricket equipment donated from cricket clubs and associations in the United Kingdom.  Equipment which was provided through Stevenson and his Executive Officer, Cmdr. Paul Snelling, former chairman and captain respectively of their United Kingdom service cricket teams. 

In presenting the team with the new equipment, the two leaders held a cricket clinic for nearly 40 of the school’s players to test and try out their new kit while learning new skills and improving their sportsman and leadership abilities. “We wanted to develop teambuilding values that foster the spirit of cricket,” said Snelling.  “The value of playing a team sport like cricket is to show them that there is more to life than fighting.  It’s about professional education, and having some fun while learning.”

Not all Kabul Military High School graduating cadets will pursue a career with the ANA.  Some will choose other occupations and paths where their education in academics and athletics will be used.  “Hopefully we will instill other interests in them.  Perhaps some will become coaches, or teachers, or just friends of the game,” said Snelling.

NTM-A is a coalition of 38 troop-contributing nations charged with assisting the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in generating a capable and sustainable Afghan National Security Force ready to take lead of their country’s security by 2014. For more information about NTM-A, visit www.ntm-a.com.

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Tags: afghan national army, afghanistan, army, cricket, education, Feature, featured, independence, Kabul Military High School, national military academy of afghanistan, nato, nato training mission, NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan, NTM-A, Officer Candidate School, soldier, training, Turkish Army

Category: News - General