Army training will benefit more
-Jagdeo tells officers parade By Kim Lucas
Stabroek News
November 27, 2003

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Resources for training within the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will now have to benefit a larger batch of officers and other ranks as efforts continue to equip all soldiers with skills for after-service employment.

So says Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Bharrat Jagdeo in his feature address at the Commissioning Parade of the Standard Officers' Course #36, on the Drill Square of Base Camp Ayanganna yesterday.

According to the recently- released Auditor General's Report, the army spent in excess of $123M last year on education, subvention and training as several officers went overseas for training; others were granted leave to pursue studies at local tertiary institutions, including the University of Guyana.

A breakdown of the expenditure showed that close to $74M was used as out-of-pocket allowance, $35M in training and tuition fees, more than $12M on airline tickets, transport and visas; and $2.2M was for miscellaneous charges. The report stated that the monies related to academic military training and peacekeeping operations overseas, but does not state how many officers as against other ranks who benefited.

The audit found that information relating to the conditions under which the beneficiaries for training were granted awards was not seen. It was concluded that there should be adequate documentation to facilitate an independent review of the granting of these awards.

Nonetheless, the President yesterday emphatically stated that his administration had no intention of reducing this training, but the resources must benefit more ranks.

"Training will remain a part of the career of members of the disciplined forces. During the last successive years, I have spoken about the administration's intentions to utilise the opportunities of service in the disciplined forces to equip officers and ranks with skills capable of providing employment security after leaving the service...emphasis will be placed on ensuring that the resources for training benefit a larger batch of officers and ranks," the Head of State told the gathering.

He said the Defence Board had been grappling with the development of a more appropriate and comprehensive approach to realise those objectives, as well as examining ways of creating, within the disciplined forces, an environment more sensitive to, and equipped to deal with the ethnic diversity of the force's composition.

President Jagdeo commended the newly-commissioned Cadet Officers and Second Lieutenants who had just completed a rigor- ous nine-month training. Although 23 persons enlisted for the course, only 10 of them were decorated with their new badges of rank yesterday. Among them were a member each of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service. The others were from the army.

Of the lot, Second Lieutenant Ayodele Woolford won the 'Best Student' award and received the Sword of Honour as a result. As best graduating student, he was also awarded the Brazilian and Venezuelan Armed Forces prizes and the honours for 'Best Drill' and 'Military Knowledge'.

The remaining two prizes for 'Runner up to Best Student' and 'Best Shot' went to Second Lieutenant Ganesh Shew and Second Lieutenant Troy Cordis, respectively.

The ranks commenced formal training on March 17 with the general aim of becoming officers capable of commanding a platoon in peacetime and limited war. They were elevated to the rank of ensigns on October 30, during a parade held at Base Camp Stephenson at Timehri.

Reports indicated that the number of ranks fell from 23 to 10 because 11 students experienced difficulties in obtaining the required standard and were discharged from the force, while one was returned to his unit. One other student was relegated at the end of the third term.

According to Woolford, the course was physically demanding, but gave him thorough knowledge of military training. "Additionally, it has strongly developed within me a challenging spirit to successfully lead a platoon of men into battle during limited war or peacetime," the valedictorian stated.

He was granted the opportunity yesterday afternoon, and amid the pomp and ceremony, grandly led his batch-mates in the parade amid a brief shower of rain.