NPA to start online classes from today

137 probationers to attend three classes for at least four hours a day as part of Phase-II training

In a first, the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy will conduct online classes for the IPS probationers who are stranded in their allotted cadres after completion of District Practical Training (DPT) due to COVID-19 lockdown.

Starting from Tuesday, the 137 probationers have to remote login and attend three online classes for at least four hours a day (starting from 10 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.) as part of the Phase II of their training. There will be a inaugural session with director’s address in the morning.

Speaking to The Hindu, Atul Karwal, director of the premier police school in the country, said the e-classes will be held for 71 Regular Recruit (RR) 2018 batch for a week till June 2, and between June 5 and June 7, probationers will have to report at the academy for further training, as they have completed the six-month DPT.

As Phase-II is based on discussions and sharing their DPT experience, the online classes will help the probationers in finishing the training within a given time frame, he said. “For instance, we will have discussions on Public Leadership and Management, Maintenance of Public Peace and Order and several other topics, apart from physical training through videos in the morning hours,” he said.

Quarantine for 10 days

Even after reporting at the academy, the probationers have to be under quarantine for 10 days and attend the class online before hitting the ground.

However, 15 probationers from Nepal, Royal Bhutan and Maldives may not join the academy this year due to international travel restrictions owing to the COVID-19 outbreak, Mr. Karwal said, adding that the passing-out parade will be held in the first week of September.

With lockdown restricting the physical training, the 72 RR batch of IPS probationers are flexing their muscles during the online training sessions for unarmed combat. Acclaimed trainer and Wing Tsun Kung Fu headmaster for India, Donald Melville is conducting virtual classes for 170-odd trainees, including 20 from Nepal, Royal Bhutan, Maldives and Mauritius, from Vadodara in Gujarat.

Syllabus revised

“Instead of wasting time during lockdown, we have roped in Mr. Melville to train the probationers before they finish their Phase-I training. We have also revised the entire syllabus of unarmed combat training for the current batch,” Mr. Karwal, a fitness sports and adventure sports enthusiast, who also holds a first degree in black belt in Wing-Tsun Kung Fu, said.

“The lockdown was unprecedented and certainly there is a difference between training on ground and training through online medium, especially unarmed combat. However, Mr. Melville will be here in the first week of June to refine their skills,” Mr. Karwal, a 1988 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, said.

More trainers

Further, he said that they are getting six trainers from the Central Reserve Police Force on deputation who will remain in the academy for five years. “Since this might take a few more weeks, Mr. Melville will be assisted by the NPA trainers whom he had trained in his earlier visit. Even the CRPF trainers are trained by him,” the officer said.

Moreover, the academy is also conducting a series of online tests and assessment was done in real time. “So far, we have conducted five online tests and two more are pending. The cadets have appeared for tests online from their rooms with material remaining outside. The papers were evaluated in less than five minutes,” the director added, adding that the NPA is taking extraordinary measures to protect the probationers from the novel coronavirus.