Army Academy ready to greet female cadets

By Ridwan Max Sijabat

MAGELANG, Central Java (JP): The Army is to introduce changes at it's prestigious Army Academy in order to produce professional cadets who are ready for action, an officer said.

Deputy Governor of the academy Brig. Gen. Irvan Edison said recently that changes would cover recruitment procedures, curriculum material, education strategy and even lecturers.

The biggest change planned is the admission of female cadets for the first time next year, a move which will boost the emancipation of Indonesian women and open the door for them to occupy higher ranks in the military.

The Armed Forces has four academies, one for each of the Army, Navy, Air Force, and National Police. None has ever admitted female cadets. Existing female officers in all the forces were recruited directly into service and not trained in the academies.

Indonesia has had two female police generals, Brig. Gen. (ret) Jeanne Mandagi and the late Brig. Gen. Roekmini Koesoemoastoeti. Roekmini was best known for her outspoken opinions as a legislator for the Armed Forces faction in the House of Representatives, and for her tireless fight for the downtrodden when she served on the National Commission on Human Rights before she died in September 1996.

Irvan said barracks and training facilities had been prepared to suit both female and male cadets in the 550 hectare academy.

"Female cadets will not be given special treatment," he said.

"Male and female students will be treated equally, except in some aspects of training. If male cadets carry 20 kilogram bags, female cadets will likely be given 15 kg bags because of 'the nature of women'", he said, adding the Army has not yet decided how many female students it will accept.

The cadets will be selected from among those now in their second year at the Taruna Nusantara Senior High School, a Magelang school owned by the Army.

Governor of the National Police Academy Maj. Gen. Pamudji said in Semarang recently that the police were planning to admit around 100 female students to its training academy in the 1999/2000 academic year.

Irvan stressed the importance of enforcing rules backed up with stiff sanctions for violators as a way of coping with possible adverse impacts of the changes.

"Special barracks for women, separated from male quarters, have been prepared in the academy complex," he said.

He agreed the way was now open for women to occupy top posts in the military. "Of course it would be up to the President, as the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, to appoint a woman Armed Forces commander or Army commander," he said.

Language

Irvan said that unlike in the past, academy students are now required to master at least one foreign language. English, French, German and Japanese are particularly encouraged.

"Mastery of a foreign language will be needed for future assignments in both military and civilian posts," he said.

Senior high school graduates applying for entry to the Army Academy must have a final grade point average (NEM) of at least 7 and pass physical and mental examinations.

The academy accepts an average of 250 students every year, from hundreds of thousands of high school graduates who apply.

Irvan said the academy sought to prepare Army officers of the future to face greater challenges. Therefore, in addition to the customary military training and courses in basic sciences, cadets would also be taught applied sciences.

Applied sciences will broaden cadets' horizons and prepare them to face issues such as democratization, human rights protection, labor issues and environmental problems, Irvan said.

"Therefore, sociology, psychology, international politics, communications and other applied disciplines will be given a higher profile in the new curriculum," he said.

He added that many of the academy's teaching staff come from the state-run Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta.

Graduates' donation

He said the academy planned to develop a sophisticated language laboratory and provide audio-visual equipment and a modern library to support learning activities.

Many graduates of the academy have made donations ranging from books to classrooms. Among generous donors are the Armed Forces Commander/Minister of Defense Gen. Wiranto, and former ministers of defense and security Gen. (ret) Edi Sudradjat and Benny Moerdani.

Students need a strong military training and knowledge of scientific disciplines, which will provide them with insight and heighten their perception of national and global problems, he said.

"With the new curriculum, graduates are expected to be even more professional after leaving the academy," he said.

Wiranto, in a seminar commemorating the academy's 48th anniversary on Nov. 11 last year, said the Army must revamp its education institutions to create more professional officers and better leaders.

He said good officers should be professional, have a broad outlook, master foreign languages, and be able to lead a 100- strong platoon.

"After several years of assignments, officers should continue their studies with the Advanced Course for Officers (SUSLAPA), followed by courses at the Army's School for Staff and Command (SESKOAD) and the National Resilience Institute (Lemhannas)," he said.