SUNGAI AKAR CAMP, Friday 28 November 2014 – The Officer Cadet School (OCS), Defence Academy, Royal Brunei Armed Forces marked the closing of its inaugural Instructor Training and Selection Cadre (ITSC).
This course has run at the Sungai Akar site for the past 4 weeks with the aim of training and selecting potential instructors from across the RBAF to serve at OCS as a member of the permanent staff.
The course had 16 attendees from the Royal Brunei Land Force and the Royal Brunei Navy, each striving for the coveted positions available as instructors at OCS.
Over the past 4 weeks they have been developing their instructional techniques, conducting leadership exercises and being subjected to the same physical assessment standards as the Officer Cadets who attend OCS as students. Of the 16 hopefuls, only a small handful will be asked to return to OCS as instructors, as competition to serve at the prestigious School is high.
Modelled on the gruelling Instructor Cadre held at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the ITSC looks to adopt a “train in” policy of inclusive instruction whilst maintaining a distinctly challenging aspect and enforcing high standards on potential candidates. The ITSC philosophy is one of “Excellence Breeds Excellence”, looking to improve the standard of instruction at OCS in order to raise the standard of Young Officers being commissioned in each intake. OCS has a holistic approach to instructor standards and practices, recently conducting its first Instructor Workshop to aid in the Continual Professional Development of all permanent staff serving at the School.
The guest of honour for the closing ceremony was Colonel Haji Abdul Hadi bin Haji Saim Commandant of the Defence Academy, Royal Brunei Armed Forces. In his speech he congratulated all participants on the ITSC for their hard work and professionalism, and emphasised the need to strive for constant improvement as the Defence Academy continues on its path to being a regional leader in Military Officer Instruction.
OCS is now into its 13th Intake of Officer Cadets since its inception in 2008. The 12th Intake, currently the Senior Officer Cadets in the School, will graduate from OCS on 5 February 2015 following the traditional Sovereign’s Parade in Sungai Akar.
