Journal of Management Information and Decision Sciences (Print ISSN: 1524-7252; Online ISSN: 1532-5806)

Research Article: 2021 Vol: 24 Issue: 4

Leadership qualities among the national cadets corps in southern India

Chinnaraj Elavarasan, Bharathidasan University

Murugesan Selvam, Bharathidasan University

Balasundram Maniam, Sam Houston State University

Chinnadurai Kathiravan, Bharathidasan University

Dhamotharan Dhanasekar, Bharathidasan University

Citation Information: Elavarasan, C., Selvam, M., Maniam, B., Kathiravan, C., & Dhanasekar, D. (2021). Leadership qualities among the national cadets corps in Southern India. Journal of Management Information and Decision Sciences, 24(4), 1-12.

Abstract

This paper examines the leadership qualities among college students of Trichy Group (Zone) in Tamil Nadu. The sample consisted of 630 college students from Trichy, Thanjavur, Perambalur, Sivagangai, Karur and Nagapattinam Districts of Tamil Nadu in India. The Researcher analyzed the students’ response using t–test and Anova. The study found that the college students, who underwent the NCC training, displayed a high degree of leadership qualities compared to students without NCC training, in the Trichy Group of Tamil Nadu

Keywords

Leadership qualities; Cadet; College student; National cadet corps (NCC).

Introduction

Today’s world is a highly competitive place and to succeed, one must possess certain important human traits and the most important one is the leadership quality. Some persons are born leaders but majority of persons develop this attitude by cultivating it at schools, colleges and in public life. A student may develop this skill if he is made a captain of a sports team or he becomes a class leader or a school captain. But many students are not lucky enough to be a sports captain or a school captain. Majority of students may not get an opportunity to cultivate their leadership qualities in public. In this context, National Cadet Corps (NCC) plays a major role in developing leadership qualities among its cadets. NCC is an organization consisting of College and school students in India similar to Britain’s’ University Officers Training Corps. NCC is a large youth organization, created in 1948, to develop Indian students into better citizens and provide disciplined and reliable personnel to assist the Government during natural disaster, conducting social welfare schemes and other emergencies (Mohan Kumar, 2015). Developing leadership quality is one of the main objectives of NCC. Every NCC cadet is given an opportunity to develop the leadership skills, during various phases of training, while in the organization. NCC plays a major role in molding the character of an individual by providing an environment where one could exercise the leadership qualities (Vyas, 2018).

Literature Review

An attempt has been made in this section to review the earlier research works, undertaken in the area of personal traits, NCC training, behavioral styles and military training in order to understand the leadership qualities of individual and methodology adopted by researchers to know the findings of earlier studies.

Sinha (1966) evaluated NCC training, in the development of leadership qualities, among school students from a sample of 300 and found that NCC training and development of leadership qualities were positively related. Mehrotra (1968) investigated the attitude of women students of Agra University, towards compulsory military training and found that girl students had displayed more favourable attitude than boys. Nair (1972) conducted a study on the effect of NCC training on physical growth, adjustment, academic achievement and certain personality traits of high school pupils. The study found that there was significant gain in physical development and personality traits in the experimental group. Gupta (1981) found that girls showed keen interest in NCC training than boys. The girls also reported high inclination towards NCC training even though their socioeconomic backgrounds were different to a large extent. Sharma (1981) evaluated the effectiveness of National Cadets Corps programme at college level, with regard to self-concept, values, level of aspiration, addressing the problems and dependence proneness. The study found that NCC cadets recorded highly significant self-concept and achievement qualities than the non-NCC college students; NCC cadets reported high level of aspiration than non-NCC students; NCC cadets faced more problems of adjustment at home but less problems in schools than non-NCC students and Non-NCC students revealed high ‘dependence proneness’ than NCC cadets. Blackwell (2004) examined the perceived leadership orientation for general members, affiliated to the Corps of Cadets, at Texas A & M University. The study covered a sample of 520 cadets, enrolled in 28 randomly selected Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) and School of Military Science (SOMS) courses, at Texas A & M University. It was found that Corps of Cadets was effective in enhancing students’ perceptions of their leadership orientation. Sarkar & Margaj (2015) conducted a study among 120 NCC cadets, to find out whether they possessed atleast 80% soft skill qualities, very important to be responsible human being of society. The study found that the NCC cadets exhibited more than 80% of soft skill qualities. Mary and Anbazhagan (2017) conducted a study with 70 students from city colleges of Tiruchirappalli. The result showed that there was significant difference in personality traits and their overall personality between NCC and Non-NCC college students. Vyas (2018) investigated 40 NCC cadets to establish the effect of National Cadet Corps (NCC) training on development of soft skill and conflict management among Naval Wing NCC cadets, under NCC Group Headquarters, Vadodara, Gujarat. The study found that NCC training definitely contributed towards the development of conflict management skills of cadets. Further, cadets had developed collaborating and accommodating style of conflict management, which further consolidates validated the assumption.

From the above literature it is clear that some researches have attempted to study, the human traits developed by NCC or military training. But there are hardly any research which dwells on comparing leadership qualities among NCC and Non NCC students and that too from Tamil Nadu. In order to fill up this gap, an attempt has been made in this study, to study the leadership qualities of the college students, under the Trichy Group of Tamil Nadu.

Statement of the Problem

A leader can be autocratic namely Idi Amin of Uganda, Pol Pot of Khmer Rouge or one can be a dictator like Hitler of Germany. Such leaders bring disaster and despair to a nation. Every nation should have effective leaders who are concerned about the overall welfare of the people and the growth of the nation. Leaders, with poor leadership skills in a nation, will lead to rise of autocratic and dictatorial rule. A nation such as ours requires vibrant leaders who can lead the nation by preserving the fabric of democracy. More the number of good leaders, better will be the democracy. Vashisht (2019) viewed that today’s younger generation is certainly more tech savvy, but many really lack focus and commitment, and they are not inclined towards scholarly pursuit, research or innovation. Majority of students are indifferent towards social or community causes and issues. They are risk adverse, lack a sense of discipline and are also afflicted by moral and ethical chasms that exist in society at large. NCC is one organization, which can channelize the youth in developing their leadership qualities among them, so that they can be better citizens for the nation. As stated earlier, The National Cadet Corps (NCC), the largest uniformed volunteer organisation in the world, is committed to the business of youth empowerment and it is ideally suited to help the nation to realise its demographic dividend, thereby making a significant contribution to nation-building. One of the main objectives of NCC is to develop leadership qualities in NCC cadets so that they become responsible citizens and contribute positively to the nation building. A huge effort and lot of money are being invested in this Programme by the Union of India and State Governments. Hence there is a need to take stock of the benefits and uses of such a scheme. Against this background, this study was undertaken, to assess whether the students joining NCC were benefited or not and to find out whether the students developed leadership qualities after going through the NCC training.

Need of the Study

As stated earlier, there are very few academic research on NCC training and its effectiveness, especially in Tamil Nadu. Educational and psychological researchers in India, especially in Tamil Nadu, have not paid due attention to the subject. Huge amount of money and manpower is used for NCC and the teachers run these NCC training activities in most of the schools and colleges across the country. It is expected that the findings of this study would provide an empirical basis about the NCC training programme to the educationists, educational planners as well as administrators. The findings of this study would also be useful in improving and modifying training modules for the benefit of NCC and the nation as a whole.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between NCC training and its effect on leadership qualities among college students of Trichy Group of Tamil Nadu.

Hypothesis of the Study

Main Null Hypothesis

H01: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC students studying at colleges of Trichy Group.

Sub Null Hypotheses

H02: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between districts of Trichy Group.

H03: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC trained male and female college students in Trichy Group.

H04: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC trained Govt/aided & Private College students in Trichy Group.

H05: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC students from rural/urban region colleges in Trichy Group

H06: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC trained, economically strong and economically weak students in Trichy Group.

H07: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC Cadets and Non NCC trained arts/science/commerce colleges & professional college students in Trichy Group.

Research Methodology

This study mainly depended on primary data, collected from NCC trained cadets and Non NCC students. Twenty-one colleges, under the Trichy NCC Group, which runs NCC training across nine districts in the central part of Tamil Nadu, namely, Trichy, Perambalur, Karur, Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Dindigal, Theni, Pudukkottai and Sivagangai Districts, were contacted to participate in the survey. From each college, 15 NCC trained cadets and 15 Non NCC students (totaling 30 students per college), participated in the survey. Overall, 630 students (30 students from 21 colleges) had participated. Sufficient care was taken to select students’ population, with a random mix of gender, region, economic background, government colleges and private colleges. Besides, there was also a mix of students from science, commerce, arts and engineering stream. This study was carried out using both primary and secondary data. The required primary data were collected from the students, by using leadership questionnaire of 18 questions, developed by Clark & Clark (1990). The questions were designed to obtain response, in terms of their reaction and behaviour, if they had faced a tough and tricky situation, while leading a team. The questionnaire was circulated among respondents through WhatsApp/email and responses from the students was obtained through Google Form. Responses were structured on a five-point scale, such as Strongly Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Neutral (3), Agree (4), Strongly agree (5). Secondary data for the study were collected from reputed books, journals, research articles and websites. Some additional inputs on the infrastructure, type of training, suggestions for improvement for feedback from camps, were also collected from the cadets, students and Associate NCC Officers (ANOs).

Period of Study

Due to the peculiar lockdown conditions during Corona pandemic, the Researcher could not interact with students personally and explain the survey questions. But the questions were circulated in English as well as in local language (Tamil) for their easy understanding. The students submitted the responses, over a period of seven to eight days, during the month of July 2020.

Tools used

This study used tools like Descriptive Statistics, for understanding the significance of data, relating to leadership qualities exhibited by college students. SPSS software was used to analyse the variance between leadership qualities between the students from various districts.

Analysis of Leadership Qualities

An attempt was made, to examine and compare leadership qualities among Trained NCC students and students without NCC training, in respect of male and female, urban and rural, Govt and private colleges, students’ parents’ income and their preference of studies (arts/science/engineering). The differences in the variances, between districts, was also examined in the study.

Leadership qualities among NCC trained and non-trained students

Table 1 shows the results of leadership qualities, among NCC trained cadets and students without training, in Trichy Region. 630 students (315 trained and 315 non-trained) were contacted for the purpose of this study. The mean value of NCC trained cadets was higher than that of the students, who were not trained in NCC. The calculated t value of 10.11 was greater than the critical t value at 0.05%. Hence the null Hypothesis H01- There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC students, studying at colleges of Trichy Group, was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted.

Table 1 Results of Leadership Qualities Among NCC Trained and Non Trained Students
  NCC Trained Not Trained
No of Students 315 315
Mean 81.63 74.32
Variance 84.81 80.02
df 627
t Stat (p value) 10.11 (p value < 0.00001
t Critical value (Two –tail) 1.96

Leadership qualities among students in various districts in Trichy group

The scores of descriptive analysis, across six districts, namely Thanjavur, Sivagangai, Trichy, Perambalur, Dindigul and Pudukottai, are given in Table 2. It can be seen that the mean value of Perambalur District was greater while the mean value of Nagapattinam was lower than that of other districts. However, the SD of Nagapattinam was the highest while the spread of Trichy was the least. To find out differences that existed between the mean scores of leadership qualities Levines Test of Homogeneity for SD and Anova Test were used (Table 3 and Table 4). The Levines Test showed that the homogeneity of variances was violated (p=0.000). The robust test of equality was used F=3.707, (p=0.01), to show that there was significant difference in the mean values. To find out the reasons for the significant differences, multiple comparison between the Districts was carried out through post hoc tests (Table 5), which indicated that there was significant difference in leadership qualities between Trichy and Dindigul, Trichy and Nagapattinam, Dindigul and Perambalur, Dindigul and Thanjavur, Perambalur and Nagapattinam, Perambalur and Thanjavur, Thanjavur and Nagapattinam. Therefore, the null Hypothesis H02: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between Districts of Trichy Group, was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted. The low mean value in Dindigul (73.92) and Nagapattinam (72.87) needs to be monitored and measures should be initiated by the NCC department, to improve the leadership training in these districts.

Table 2 Results of Descriptive Statistics for Leadership Qualities in Trichy Group
  N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error 95% Confidence Interval for Mean Minimum Maximum
Lower Bound Upper Bound
Trichy 150 79.29 7.671 .626 78.06 80.53 51 90
Dindigul 60 73.92 9.727 1.256 71.40 76.43 55 90
Karur 30 79.10 10.819 1.975 75.06 83.14 36 90
Perambalur 90 79.54 10.878 1.147 77.27 81.82 33 90
Thanjavur 120 79.38 7.928 .724 77.94 80.81 45 90
Nagapattinam 30 72.87 13.673 2.496 67.76 77.97 44 90
Pudukottai 60 75.75 10.646 1.374 73.00 78.50 37 90
Sivagangai 90 77.90 10.263 1.082 75.75 80.05 51 90
Total 630 77.98 9.772 .389 77.22 78.75 33 90
Table 3 The Results of Homogeneity Test of Variances on Leadership Qualities in Trichy Group
  Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig.
Score Based on Mean 6.290 7 622 0.000
Based on Median 3.954 7 622 0.000
Based on Median and with adjusted df 3.954 7 532.932 0.000
Based on trimmed mean 5.878 7 622 0.000
Table 4 Results of Robust Tests of Equality of Means on Leadership Qualities in Trichy Group
  Statistica df1 df2 Sig.
Welch 3.707 7 175.136 0.001
Brown-Forsythe 3.691 7 283.273 0.001
a. Asymptotically F distributed.
Table 5 Leadership Scores of Students: District Wise Comparison Tukey HSD,  DEPENDENT Variable:  Leadership Score
(I) District (J) District Mean Difference  (I-J) Std. Error Sig. 95% Confidence Interval
Lower Bound Upper Bound
Trichy Dindigal 5.377* 1.465 0.006 0.92 9.83
Karur 0.193 1.919 1.000 -5.64 6.03
Perambalur -0.251 1.279 1.000 -4.14 3.64
Thanjavur -0.082 1.175 1.000 -3.65 3.49
Nagapattinam 6.427* 1.919 0.019 0.59 12.26
Pudukkottai 3.543 1.465 0.234 -0.91 8.00
Sivagangai 1.393 1.279 0.959 -2.50 5.28
Dindigal Trichy -5.377* 1.465 0.006 -9.83 -0.92
Karur -5.183 2.145 0.235 -11.71 1.34
Perambalur -5.628* 1.599 0.011 -10.49 -0.77
Thanjavur -5.458* 1.517 0.008 -10.07 -0.85
Nagapattinam 1.050 2.145 1.000 -5.47 7.57
Pudukkottai -1.833 1.751 0.967 -7.16 3.49
Sivagangai -3.983 1.599 0.201 -8.85 .88
Karur Trichy -0.193 1.919 1.000 -6.03 5.64
Dindigal 5.183 2.145 0.235 -1.34 11.71
Perambalur -0.444 2.022 1.000 -6.60 5.71
Thanjavur -0.275 1.958 1.000 -6.23 5.68
Nagapattinam 6.233 2.477 0.190 -1.30 13.77
Pudukkottai 3.350 2.145 0.773 -3.17 9.87
Sivagangai 1.200 2.022 0.999 -4.95 7.35
Perambalur Trichy 0.251 1.279 1.000 -3.64 4.14
Dindigal 5.628* 1.599 0.011 0.77 10.49
Karur 0.444 2.022 1.000 -5.71 6.60
Thanjavur 0.169 1.338 1.000 -3.90 4.24
Nagapattinam 6.678* 2.022 0.023 0.53 12.83
Pudukkottai 3.794 1.599 0.256 -1.07 8.66
Sivagangai 1.644 1.430 0.945 -2.70 5.99
Thanjavur Trichy 0.082 1.175 1.000 -3.49 3.65
Dindigal 5.458* 1.517 0.008 0.85 10.07
Karur 0.275 1.958 1.000 -5.68 6.23
Perambalur -0.169 1.338 1.000 -4.24 3.90
Nagapattinam 6.508* 1.958 0.021 0.55 12.46
Pudukkottai 3.625 1.517 0.248 -0.99 8.24
Sivagangai 1.475 1.338 0.956 -2.59 5.54
Nagapattinam Trichy -6.427* 1.919 0.019 -12.26 -0.59
Dindigal -1.050 2.145 1.000 -7.57 5.47
Karur -6.233 2.477 0.190 -13.77 1.30
Perambalur -6.678* 2.022 0.023 -12.83 -0.53
Thanjavur -6.508* 1.958 0.021 -12.46 -0.55
Pudukkottai -2.883 2.145 0.882 -9.41 3.64
Sivagangai -5.033 2.022 0.202 -11.18 1.12
Pudukkottai Trichy -3.543 1.465 0.234 -8.00 0.91
Dindigal 1.833 1.751 0.967 -3.49 7.16
Karur -3.350 2.145 0.773 -9.87 3.17
Perambalur -3.794 1.599 0.256 -8.66 1.07
Thanjavur -3.625 1.517 0.248 -8.24 0.99
Nagapattinam 2.883 2.145 0.882 -3.64 9.41
Sivagangai -2.150 1.599 0.881 -7.01 2.71
Sivagangai Trichy -1.393 1.279 0.959 -5.28 2.50
Dindigal 3.983 1.599 0.201 -0.88 8.85
Karur -1.200 2.022 0.999 -7.35 4.95
Perambalur -1.644 1.430 0.945 -5.99 2.70
Thanjavur -1.475 1.338 0.956 -5.54 2.59
Nagapattinam 5.033 2.022 0.202 -1.12 11.18
Pudukkottai 2.150 1.599 0.881 -2.71 7.01
*. The mean difference is significant at the 0.05 level.

Leadership qualities among male and female cadets

The results of leadership qualities, among male and female cadets, in Trichy Region, are shown in Table 6. It is to be noted that 368 male and 262 female students were contacted to identify their leadership qualities. The mean values of NCC trained males as well as females were more than that of non-trained male and female students in Trichy Group of Tamil Nadu. The calculated t value of 6.82 for male and 7.77 for female, were greater than the critical t value of 1.97. Therefore, the null Hypothesis H03: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC trained male and female college students in Trichy Group was not accepted and the alternate hypothesis was not rejected.

Table 6 Results of Leadership Qualities Among Male and Female Cadets in Trichy Group
  Male students (368) Female students (262) Total
  NCC Trained Not Trained NCC Trained Not Trained  
No of Students 190 178 125 137 630
Mean 80.99 74.46 82.61 74.04 77.98
Variance 88.70 80.10 77.97 81.12  
Df 366 259  
t Stat (p value) 6.82 (p value < 0.00001) 7.77(p value < 0.00001)  
t Critical value two-tail 1.97 1.97  

Leadership qualities among Govt and private colleges’ cadets in Trichy group

According to Table 7, there were 471 students from government aided colleges and 159 students from private colleges. The mean value of NCC trained cadets was higher than that of both government/aided as well as private colleges. The calculated t value of 8.79 for Government College and 4.86 for private college, was greater than the critical t value of 1.97. Hence, the null Hypothesis NH04: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC trained Government/aided & Private Colleges in Trichy Group, was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted. Even though the mean value of leadership qualities among the girl cadets indicated a substantial difference, the data at the Trichy Group Headquarters reveal that the enrollment percentage of girls in NCC was very low. Tough NCC activities, camps and hesitation by the parents, were the main causes for the low enrollment percentage. The NCC department should conduct motivation lectures for the girl students and their parents and allay their fear and misconception about joining NCC.

Table 7 Results of Leadership Qualities Among Govt and Private Colleges Cadets in Trichy Group
  Govt/Aided Colleges (471) Private Colleges (159) Total
  NCC Trained Not Trained NCC Trained Not Trained  
Observations 236 235 79 80 630
Mean 81.55 74.22 81.89 74.80 77.98
Variance 92.34 71.16 63.10 106.47  
df 462 148  
t Stat (p Value) 8.79 (p value < 0.00001) 4.86(p value < 0.00001)  
t Critical value two-tail 1.97 1.98  

Leadership qualities among rural/urban cadets in Trichy group

Table 8 shows the results of leadership qualities, among rural/urban students in Trichy Group. From the Table 8, it is clear that there were 221 students from the urban area while 409 were from the rural area. The mean values of NCC trained urban students as well as rural students were more than that of non NCC students. The calculated t value of 6.05 for urban students, and 8.22 for rural students was greater than the critical t value. The null Hypothesis H05: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC students from rural/urban region colleges in Trichy Group was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted.

Table 8 Leadership Qualities Among Rural/Urban Cadets in Trichy Group
  Urban Students (221) Rural Students (409) Total
  NCC Trained Not Trained NCC Trained Not Trained  
No of Students 101 120 215 194 630
Mean 81.87 75.44 81.46 73.64 77.98
Variance 56.05 68.94 98.93 86.35  
df 218 407  
t Stat (p value) 6.05(p value < 0.00001) 8.22(p value < 0.00001)  
t Critical value two-tail 1.97 1.97  

Leadership qualities among students based on income level in Trichy group

The results of leadership qualities, among students based on the level of income are given in Table 9. Out of 630 students, 350 students belonged to families, whose parents’ income was less than 15000 per month and 280 students from families, with income above 15000 per month. The mean values of NCC trained and economically strong as well as economically weak students, were more than that of the non NCC students. The calculated t value of 9.74 for students, whose parents’ income was less than 15000 and 4.69, for students whose parents’ income was more than 15000, was greater than the critical t value. Hence the null Hypothesis NH06: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC trained and Non NCC trained economically strong & economically weak students in Trichy Group, was rejected and the alternate hypothesis was accepted.

Table 9 Results of Leadership Qualities Among Students’ Parents Income Level in Trichy Group
  Parents’ Income < 15000 Parents’ Income > 15000 Total
  NCC Trained Not Trained NCC Trained Not Trained  
No of Students 173 177 142 138 630
Mean 82.55 73.57 80.51 75.17 77.98
Variance 66.16 82.83 105.84 76.17  
Total students 350 280  
df 345 273  
t Stat (p value) 9.74(p value < 0.00001) 4.69(p value < 0.00001)  
t Critical two-tail 1.97 1.97  

Leadership Qualities among Cadets based on Education Streams in Trichy Group

Table 10 reveals the results of leadership among cadets based on education streams they opted for in colleges. Out of the 630 students, 518 were from arts/science while 112 were from professional courses. It is understood that the mean values of arts/science/commerce college students as well as professional college NCC students, were more than that of the non NCC students. As the calculated t value of 7.98, for arts/science/commerce students and 7.57, for professional college students, was greater than the critical t value, the null Hypothesis NH07: There is no significant difference in Leadership Qualities between NCC Cadets and Non NCC trained Arts/Science/Commerce Colleges & Professional Colleges in Trichy Group, was not accepted and the alternate hypothesis was not rejected.

Table 10 Results of Leadership Qualities Among Cadets Based on Education Streams in Trichy Group
  Arts/Science/Commerce
Stream (518)
Professional Stream (112) Total
  NCC Trained Not Trained NCC Trained Not Trained  
No of Students 255 263 60 52 630
Mean 81.43 74.89 82.48 71.35 77.98
Variance 92.99 81.03 50.12 69.21  
df 511 101  
t Stat (p value) 7.98(p value < 0.00001) 7.57(p value < 0.00001)  
t Critical two-tail 1.96 1.98  

Suggestions of the Study

The following are the select suggestions in the light of this study and interaction with NCC cadets, Associate NCC Officers, Permanent Instructors of army and college students. The NCC training has made significant difference in leadership qualities in all segments of students - gender wise, college wise, region wise, stream wise and salary wise. It is obvious in India that NCC grooms young students, who may contribute to the development of the nation and later become future leaders.

The mean value of leadership score was high at 79 for Trichy, Karur, Perambalur and Thanjavur while the score of Nagapattinam and Dindigal was at low as 72. These low scores should be improved and the NCC should impart additional classes on leadership qualities for the cadets of Nagapattinam and Dindigal Districts.

The study notes with satisfaction that the mean score of NCC girls was better than the boys which indicated that the girls were as good as boys. But it is seen from the data, available at the NCC Group Headquarters, Trichy, that the enrollment percentage of girls was very low. This shows that NCC is popular among the male students while the female students tend to distance themselves from NCC training, due to the tough nature of NCC camp duties and discouragement of parents to join NCC. The NCC organisation should make efforts to encourage the parents of female students to permit them to join NCC so that the representation of them could increase in the NCC. The leadership qualities of students from government colleges or private colleges, did not differ at all. Quality of NCC training imparted to both types of colleges was equal.

The leadership qualities, imbibed by the cadets did not make a difference whether their parents were poor or rich. In fact, the data indicated that the cadets of poor parents had a better score than richer students. The NCC department should continue to impart such kind of training to all cadets, without any bias.

Many students expressed their desire to take part in NCC and NSS. However academic pressure prevented them from taking part in such activities. Professional stream students were the most affected lot. They believed that if they participated in NCC, then their academic scores would suffer. The management of college should motivate the young students to join NCC and help them in giving extra classes if they miss out on academic classes. It is expected that the New Education Policy would bring some relief to these students and more number of students will take part in these activities.

NCC provides trained disciplined manpower, which is readily available for the development of the nation. It is significant to note that NCC cadets, who pass C Certificate exams, are allotted bonus marks in certain government jobs, but this incentive is not sufficient to make NCC popular. The services of these cadets should be duly recognized and some job reservations should be made available by the Governments.

Conclusion and Scope of Further Study

This study deliberated on the effectiveness of the NCC training in respect of leadership qualities. It was found that the NCC training was effective in imparting leadership qualities to the students of colleges. It was also found that there was significant difference between the NCC cadets and Non NCC students. The NCC cadets displayed better leadership qualities, regardless of gender, government or private colleges, region, economic back ground, arts/science/ commerce/professional colleges, in Trichy Group. The NCC should be made more popular to reach out to rural areas and should attract more number of girl cadets.

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