Being absorbed by CAPF might be the way forward for Agniveers – Times of India

To enhance future career prospects of Agniveers under the Agnipath scheme, the Ministry of Education announced a three-year skill-based bachelor’s degree programme that will recognise their skill training during their tenure in the defence services. Experts suggest that if they are not granted a permanent commission, making it mandatory for them to be absorbed by various arms of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) after their service may be a lucrative way forward.

Combining service, education

Brigadier Amardeep Singh (Retired), says, “In the regular course, it takes a rookie recruit at least four to five years to understand the demands from a soldier. Till then, he is not independent and will not be deployed in high-intensity areas. It will take Agniveers their entire service duration to just know about Army life, pushing them to look for alternatives once their tenure gets over.”

Allowed leaves of absence, time off for pursuing courses etc leaves Agniveers with a training time of around 30 months, he adds. “Thus, the professional competence of Agniveers will not be at par with regular soldiers, urging them to explore options for the future,” he says.

A 21-year-old Agniveer is possibly a graduate who joined the field due to a lack of employability elsewhere. “This will lead to a group of below-average soldiers in the Armed Forces,” says Brig Singh (Retd). Another issue is that regular soldiers have job assurance, which Agniveers will not have. “Their commitment by design will be to focus on opportunities available after the four years of service, making the availability of education along with their tenure imperative,” adds Singh.

Flaw, possible solution

The final degrees that will be awarded to Agniveers by IGNOU as per the UGC nomenclature will be BA, BCom, BA (vocational), BA (Tourism management) etc. “Skill-sets for most of these degrees do not match with the training Agniveers will get during their four years of service. The way forward in educating the Agniveers needs a better road map,” says Singh.

A more lucrative step might be for the government to pass an Act in the Parliament under which all Agniveers, once they complete their tenure, will be employed under various arms of the CAPF. “This will provide Agniveers with at least some job security,” he adds.

Educating Agniveers

The programme has been designed by Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and is aligned with University Grants Commission (UGC) norms and National Credit Framework, National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF).

Under this programme, 50% of credits required for a graduate degree will come from skill training while the remaining will come from various courses across subjects. The programme will also have options for multiple exit points, providing Agniveers with an undergraduate (UG) certificate on successful completion of the first year, a UG diploma on successful completion of first and second-year courses and a degree on completion of all courses in the three year time frame.

Mamidala Jagadesh Kumar, the chairman, of UGC, says, “UGC and IGNOU are working together to provide recognition for skills acquired by Agniveers. Also, once the Digital University is established, Agniveers can do courses in emerging areas, making them future-ready.” Kumar adds that information about skills being provided to Agniveers during their training is key. “Based on this, mapping their skill training with NHEQF will be done and will help us with qualifications that can be given to them,” he says.