Updated on: Aug 07, 2025 07:00 am IST
The officials discussed the possibility of including military-style drills and patriotic songs in school activities.
Mumbai: Maharashtra school education department is exploring the idea of introducing NCC-like (National Cadet Corps-like) training for school students starting from Class 1. A high-level meeting was held on Tuesday, in which school education minister Dada Bhuse discussed the proposal with senior NCC officers and state education officials.
During the meeting, Bhuse said that the aim of introducing such training to students from Class 1 onwards is to develop discipline and patriotism among them from a young age. “Students must learn to respect the country and grow up with strong values. NCC-style training can help achieve this,” he said. The officials discussed the possibility of including military-style drills and patriotic songs in school activities, especially during events like Independence Day.
Bhuse also mentioned that efforts would be made to increase the number of NCC training centres in the state with support from the central government. At present, 1,726 schools and colleges in Maharashtra provide NCC training with over 1.14 lakh students enrolled. The state has seven NCC groups and 63 units. NCC officials shared that 10 more centres will soon be added, with over 20,000 new students being enrolled into the training.
Since NCC doesn’t have enough staff to impart training in every school, the state is considering involving retired military personnel to assist with training through the ex-servicemen welfare board.
The meeting was attended by key officials, including education secretary Ranjit Singh Deol, education commissioner Sachchandra Pratap Singh, SCERT director Rahul Rekhawar, NCC Director Janish George, Colonel Santosh Ghag and Lieutenant Colonel Ajay Bhosale. The state government will now assess the practicalities of introducing NCC in all schools.
