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| Home > Info Centre > Publications > Alert 1998 > Education | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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It’s best to write about one’s era when dealing with this delicate issue in a military organisation. The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) has since its inception been an important arm of government mainly because of the various roles it performs in the interest of the nation. To do this, the organisation has to recruit its members from the available workforce, select the right personnel for the job, train personnel to carry out various tasks, ensure their development and that of the organisation, provide the required in-service facilities, compensate its members, provide benefits to include retirement provisions and even cater for the demise of service and ex-service personnel. Military training or education, traditionally, involves three phases. In phase one there is initial (Recruits/Basic Officer Training), the second phase involves intermediary level training (Cadres/Intermediate Course) and finally, advanced specialist courses (Senior Staff College/Artificers Courses). Persons completing phase three would have completed the military requirement for their rank categories and are regarded as having satisfied the military education criteria. The system is one which transforms individuals, ensuring that they adopt the military ethos, acquire the knowledge, skills, abilities and experience needed to maintain the organisation’s viability. It tries to ensure that each individual is competent at what he/she does in the chain of command: There is nothing wrong with this, as this type of education provides the "backbone" for functional ability, that is, these courses must be done in order for the organisation to be efficient at its tasks. There are many advantages to this process and it is highly favoured as it tends to ensure the survival of the status quo. Old habits die hard, particularly when existing systems work. It is not unusual to hear individuals remark; "The Army is the greatest university on earth" and by their actions display their fear of higher education. In the early days, there was not much of a cry for higher educational opportunities (outside of military core courses) and when such a lonely voice was heard, it was quickly discouraged. The Dawn I have no doubt that there were others before me and my peers, however, I will stick to our experiences when tracing the developmental perspective. There were many young and fertile minds in the Jamaica Defence Force during the 1970’s, I can still recall many engaging conversations with Major (Retired) Neil "Cutty" LEWIS, Captain (Retired) Carlton "Ruddy" REID, Capt (Retired) Orville "the Felonious Monk" THOMAS and Major (Retired) Errol "Grimey" ALIMAN. We advocated the need for a change in the organisation’s outlook, its way of doing business, in order to improve its retention factor, and boost the confidence of individuals in their ability to interface with the public. "Ruddy" and "Cutty" went as far as to have dialogue with the University of the West Indies (UWI) in an attempt to have that body award credits for military courses towards graduate programmes. The realization of the need came about, as it usually does in most organisations, when individuals realize that other organisations had advanced by way of improved systems and procedures. With few opportunities for higher education many service personnel questioned how "marketable" they would be at the end of their tenure in the JDF. The situation that existed then was not one that the hierarchy sought to address and this led to further discussions at the lower level out of which many decisions were made, by individuals, in what they perceived to be their best interests. Some left the service for new jobs and/or educational opportunities, while others continued in the service but pursued higher studies on a part-time basis at their own expense. What is interesting however, is that both categories of individuals, those who left and those who remained, brought pressure to bear on the organisation by continuously expounding the virtues of an official education policy for the JDF. This was the beginning of change in the organisation’s thought process and signaled the dawn of a new era. The "system" reacted by, discouraging, in its own subtle ways, the contemplations of future university students, whilst at the same time, making promises to individuals for future opportunities. It was the typical "knee-jerk" reaction of an organisation caught in a tailspin, created by emergent actions, as opposed to something generated from the top. These emergent actions were perceived as something which could destroy the organisation as more emphasis seemed to be applied to civil rather than military qualifications. Individual actions were regarded as negative and in many cases those who stuck to the convictions tended to be branded the "black sheep of the family". The seed had however been sown. The Rising Sun As happens in other institutions, especially those steeped in culture and not just any "culture" but one that is a complex, a combination of the traditions of slavery and the rich military heritage left us by the British Army, there are obstacles to development and the measure of any organisation is the methods used to overcome such problems. The JDF had throughout its history recognized its human resource as being its most valuable entity. Complacency had set in over time because the organisation was constantly in demand. There was never a shortage of applicants to the extent that when advertisements were placed in the media inviting recruits, it was mere formality. High calibre individuals joining the organisation was a norm until the advent of the mid 1980’s . Then it became difficult to find the right persons, because more attractive job opportunities were being offered in the external environment. It was also difficult to retain the finer individuals within the organisation as they were not only themselves attracted to the external environment, but were being relentlessly enticed by many concerns.
Simultaneously, personnel at all levels within the organisation were enrolling in tertiary institutions to pursue Certificate, Diploma, Graduate and Post Graduate Degree/Studies at their own expense and in their own time. By the early 1990’s, it was not usual for a MAJOR and a STAFF SERGEANT to be attending the same lecture at the UWI, for example. Quite a welcome departure from norm, or quite a dramatic cross section of "black sheep!" Actions of the internal and external environments forced the hierarchy of the JDF to address what was now perceived to be a real problem. A Board convened to develop an Education Policy. It was now 1996. The Board looked at categorizing higher education courses (Degree) into broad areas such as; "militarily applicable", these being essential to the development of the individual and organisation; and "militarily non-applicable", such courses being essential to the development of the individual with indirect benefits to the organisation. The JDF would fund such courses once the individual meets the matriculation requirements of the institution. This policy is meant to be one that paves the way for military/civil interface. The next step then is to develop and put into practice an Accreditation Board which looks specifically at having credits awarded for military courses, towards graduate and post graduate studies at university level. Such opportunities will be open to all service members who meet the criteria laid down in the Education Policy, for higher studies. Additionally, the UWI is eager to investigate the accreditation process. The study which was completed by the Board in 1996 and duly submitted to Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force (HQ JDF) has, to date, not been promulgated! It is felt however, that this will be done soon and it should certainly pave the way for the year 2000 and beyond. The wheels of government bureaucracy are slow in turning, so it is necessary to point out that an Education Policy of the magnitude tabled, has serious financial implications for the JDF and will need to be budgeted on a timely basis and be carefully introduced. Undoubtedly, one may argue that it has taken the JDF a very long time to reach this stage, more than 20 years, however, there is good reason. This is an organisation that is founded on and thrives upon traditions. Traditions are sacred and very difficult to change, and even when they do change, there are influential people, "guarding the status quo". Yes, sometimes they are right, though more often than not, they are dead wrong. Indeed, culture is a very powerful thing, but the "sun has broken through the clouds" in typical military fashion, that is to say, by way of strong and committed leadership, at those levels that matter. Interim Measures The organisation has capitalized on the emergent actions of its members. There is an Interim Policy which operates on an ad hoc basis. These measures have so far seen service members doing Certificate, Diploma and Degree courses at tertiary institutions such as the Management Institute for National Development (MIND), Jamaica Institute of Management (JIM), Institute of Management and Production (IMP), University of Technology (UTECH), UWI, and Universities in the United Kingdom, Sweden and The Netherlands, in Europe. Courses applicable to the JDF are attended at MIND, JIM and UTECH when the need arises. There is an annual arrangement with IMP, for conduct of a Supervisory Management Course for Senior Non-Commissioned Officers with a view to going on to the Diploma level in 1999. Five Senior Officers are now pursuing the Diploma in Human Resource Development (HRD), intending to progress to the Master of Science Degree in HRD at UWI, on a phased basis. All these courses have received the approval of HQ JDF and with the exception of three cases, they are funded by the organisation. The students in the United Kingdom, Sweden and Holland have received scholarships to pursue their studies. New areas of study have sparked keen interest and although the organisation already boasts its own fully schooled Attorney-at-law, the Master of Business Administration: Public Sector Management is deemed as a field critical to its survival. Two candidates have been proffered. The Master of Science in Public Health is also an area targeted. There is emphasis on acquiring technological knowledge and in this regard, courses are sourced locally and overseas, particularly in the United States. In this field more than 15 persons are being trained annually. This is regarded as vital to the achievement and maintenance of efficient systems. There are now more positive than negative signals. In reality our "beautiful sheep" have for the most part been welcomed back into the flock. Emergent actions have given way to emergent strategies which will in time inform the overall strategic goals and objectives of the organisation. What of the future? It is not my intention to "take tales out of school", however, my recollection of and active participation in the "delivery" of the JDF’s educational package and the issues raised, are in fact quite similar to the experiences of other organisations. It is clear that the hierarchy needs now to constantly monitor the interim measures and their effects and actively pursue an official Education Policy. In so doing there will still be obstacles and so efforts must be channeled in those directions to ensure that persons are won over to the new culture on the one hand, and funds allocated to support education, on the other. In an organisation such as the military, this needs to be achieved through strong leadership, that speaks with one accord from the top down. Some essential aspects of the Education Policy as part of the intended strategy of the organisation, will dissipate the mystique or shroud of secrecy that has hovered over the JDF, by way of the interface/interaction in the course of studies; will allow other public and private sector organisations to fully appreciate and understand military personnel and vice versa; will establish a useful "network system" that enhances efficiency and productivity; and will allow external organisations to better understand the value of military qualifications and be better able to compare this to standard university programmes, for example, or make use of such persons in the private/public sector. This allows the nation to develop a pool of professionals, capable of playing their part in nation building, whether they be service or ex-service personnel. The internal environment is not without its complexities where the Educational Policy is concerned. The organisation’s leadership must convince the detractors that the JDF has to ensure that its members satisfy the core competencies, prior to embarking on military applicable or non-applicable courses. Additionally, such courses should be viewed as exactly what they are meant to do and that is, ensure the gaining of knowledge, skills, abilities and experiences, to enhance the professional criteria of the military. In the past, the organisation’s human resources were recognized as its most valuable assets and so they remain today. In today’s global environment there is no difference in what organisations have to do to survive. They all have to ensure that they achieve high internationally recognized standards to achieve the competitive edge. To do this requires that nothing be spared in attracting the right person for the right job, retaining those who are assets to the organisation, creating a better working environment, developing and implementing a realistic career path for individuals producing quality output consistently, and finally, paying greater attention to the welfare of our most vital of resources. Education at all levels is key to the achievement of such viability. As the reader will no doubt realize, this is not only a delicate, but a complex issue as well. Some of my peers from the 1970’s whose names appeared earlier in this article, will no doubt smile when they read this and I know why. Rest assured however, that my peers of today have put the train back on track and the wheels are turning slowly, but gathering momentum. The verdict is yours, evolution or revolution?
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