String of firsts: Girls appear for NDA exam
Times of Bennett | Updated: Feb 01, 2022 15:53
By ERA PARMAR
FARIDABAD: Two months after theSupreme Court directive opened the National Defence Academy (NDA) to girls, the first batch of women candidates appeared for the written exam conducted by the UPSC on November 14, 2021.
Nearly 75 per cent of the women who had registered turned up for the examination. With a throng of parents outside the examination centre, the excitement was palpable. However, some candidates complained that they did not have enough time to prepare for theexams .
Aspirant Lovely Sharma told this reporter that the “NDA notification came at the last minute.” The view was echoed by her examinee friends Anshika and Shipra.
Lieutenant Colonel Devinder Dhadwal termed the opening of the NDA to women as a positive and motivating step towards female empowerment. “It will help decrease thegender discrimination . The next step should be to increase the seats and service. Girls are equally strong, patriotic and brave and should be given more opportunities,” he said.
Sharma said she chose to give this exam because NDA solves the career dilemma and provides the best opportunities in future. “It gives you job security, family security and respect that can only be earned in the uniform. There is a special pride in wearing that uniform,” she said.
Other candidates echoed Sharma’s views and said it felt really good and that they would be proud if selected to serve the nation on its borders. Most, like Shipra, were of the opinion that girls should have been allowed to give the exam sooner.
A male candidate for the exam, Chinmay Sharma, extended his support on girls getting to give the exam. “It is perfectly fine as long as the academy doesn’t scam like, they’re girls so physical standards are lowered or something like it happens in the OTA,” he said.
Taking a major step towards gender equality, the Supreme Court had on August 18 allowed eligible women candidates to take the examination for admission to the National Defence Academy.
The Government had then informed the court that the women candidates would be allowed to take the exam from next year in May, 2022 but the apex court rejected this and ordered that women candidates be allowed to give the examination in November 2021 itself.
The results for the written exam are expected by January 2022. Candidates who clear the written examination will appear for the Service Selection Board interviews and a medical exam after which the final results will be announced.
FARIDABAD: Two months after the
Nearly 75 per cent of the women who had registered turned up for the examination. With a throng of parents outside the examination centre, the excitement was palpable. However, some candidates complained that they did not have enough time to prepare for the
Aspirant Lovely Sharma told this reporter that the “NDA notification came at the last minute.” The view was echoed by her examinee friends Anshika and Shipra.
Lieutenant Colonel Devinder Dhadwal termed the opening of the NDA to women as a positive and motivating step towards female empowerment. “It will help decrease the
Sharma said she chose to give this exam because NDA solves the career dilemma and provides the best opportunities in future. “It gives you job security, family security and respect that can only be earned in the uniform. There is a special pride in wearing that uniform,” she said.
Other candidates echoed Sharma’s views and said it felt really good and that they would be proud if selected to serve the nation on its borders. Most, like Shipra, were of the opinion that girls should have been allowed to give the exam sooner.
A male candidate for the exam, Chinmay Sharma, extended his support on girls getting to give the exam. “It is perfectly fine as long as the academy doesn’t scam like, they’re girls so physical standards are lowered or something like it happens in the OTA,” he said.
Taking a major step towards gender equality, the Supreme Court had on August 18 allowed eligible women candidates to take the examination for admission to the National Defence Academy.
The Government had then informed the court that the women candidates would be allowed to take the exam from next year in May, 2022 but the apex court rejected this and ordered that women candidates be allowed to give the examination in November 2021 itself.
The results for the written exam are expected by January 2022. Candidates who clear the written examination will appear for the Service Selection Board interviews and a medical exam after which the final results will be announced.
