“Citizens, know your army and if possible, join it. Encourage your sons and even daughters to join the armed forces. Teach them that it is not the last resort. In fact, protecting the nation is our first responsibility. Join the forces and experience its ecstasy. Believe me, there is nothing like it.”  — Maj Gen TK Kaul

Was India’s HRD ministry thinking of preparing kids precisely for this when, in January, it considered involving ex-servicemen in training school children? The decision was commendable and can really make some difference in their impressionable age.

Here are 6 ways the implementation of this seemingly small measure in school education can be an amazing step for children. It can eventually bring about a sea change in the coming generations’ understanding of the Indian Armed Forces.

1. Mental and physical strength: The physical training of the children will get a touch of those who have been trained in the country’s best of training schools. These people, being ex-servicemen, after being trained in the military academies according to their calibres, also have the experience of applying their strengths and skills in real life situations before their retirement. They will be able to teach the kids which is normally not taught in the schools.

2. Awareness: The school children will listen to the stories of discipline, responsibility, and patriotism unadulterated, as the stories will be narrated by the people who were part of those stories. They will understand the seriousness of keeping oneself fit for the nations. They will grow up being aware of the sacrifices made by the security forces.

3. Right knowledge: There are officers like Gen Tej Kaul who have been leaving no stone unturned, even after their retirement from the armed forces, to create awareness about taking up career in the armed forces on priority. For instance, Kaul’s innovative Know Your Army campaign offered civilians a glance into the lives of the soldiers and officers in the forces. The programme has been enlightening people who had no idea of the kind of tough situations the army has to face while safeguarding the frontiers.

4. Value of Independence: The more the kids are exposed to the forces’ strengths, the more curious they will be about the country’s history. They will value of independence and the freedom fighters and war heroes.

5. Real heroes: The kids will develop a taste for real stories than fictional tales. They will then be more concerned about the stars fighting on the front than the ones kissing on the silver screen. Their list of war heroes will be longer than fiction heroes. They will aspire to get the gallantry awards more than anything else.

6. Beyond differences: The biggest thing the education department will achieve through this exercise is that the students, while growing up listening to real stories of gallant men, will rise above all differences of caste, creed, and religion. They will believe in the oneness of the nation and will be willing to join the armed forces to protect its integrity from any external force.

7. Strong career option: A vital outcome of this entire idea, if implemented well, will be that joining defence forces will be the strongest career option for most students by the time they are capable of deciding on career options. Isn’t that what Maj Gen TK Kaul, Col Deshpande, several other ex-servicemen dreamed of when they first thought of going to civilians with their war stories?

The measure that the HRD ministry announced will bring back several Stories that had got lost in from history books. There will be a surge of young men and women joining the armed forces and there will never be a dearth of officers and soldiers.