INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue X October 2025

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Integrating Military Pedagogy in Higher Education: A Systematic

Review on the Effectiveness of NCC Studies

Dr. Dayaram D Pawar.,

Dr. Rajkumar Baburao Nanaware

Asso. Prof, School of Education Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Nashik,

Maharashtra India

Academic Coordinator, School of Education Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University,

Nashik, Maharashtra India

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.910000488

Received: 29 October 2025; Accepted: 04 November 2025; Published: 17 November 2025

ABSTRACT

Holistic Education seeks multi-fold growth to generate well-balanced personalities. The ideal child will be

intellectually sophisticated, morally upright, emotionally upstanding, physically sound, socially adept,

spiritually mature, economically independent, and globally liberal. The study's objective is to assess whether it

is justifiable offering NCC Studies as an elective credit course in higher education institutes to align with NEP

2020 and the impact of phased military-oriented curriculum of NCC combining extracurricular and curricular

activities that can give students access to a perfect and vibrant social environment. For a long time, the NCC

has been one of India's leading institutions for developing young adults. From soft skills to military training

enhancing all round development and developing leaders of tomorrow, the NCC has long been one of India's

premier and pioneer institutions. Outcome of this endeavor implies that traditional education and teaching

cannot prepare young minds for future life due to the rising complexities of life, society, and unhealthy

competition and lacks constructive approach to resolve this grave issue. The NEP 2020 envisages that after

graduating, instead of leaving them in limbo, preparing them for life through a military-oriented holistic

education curriculum (NCC Studies) is vital. The NCC Studies allows youngsters to increase their knowledge,

skills, talents, and employment prospects, including opportunities to join the military at various levels. It is

deemed necessary to achieve this goal by understanding military pedagogy. The Central and state governments

should support grants and subsidies for establishing more NCC units.

Keywords: Holistic Education, Military Pedagogy, NCC Curriculum, NCC Studies, Elective Credit Course,

Higher Educational Institutions, All-round Development

INTRODUCTION

Military pedagogy focuses on a harmonious blending of two components. i) The civic sense and ii) multi-fold

growth while simultaneously fostering leadership among young adults to produce world-class military leaders

(Juhary, 2015). The National Cadet Corps is the world’s largest voluntary uniformed youth organization which

was raised by Parliamentary Act No XXXI of India in 1948 with 20,000 cadets. It has grown in stature and

size over the years and with voluntary enrolment recommenced in 1966, presently 1.35 million cadets are

enrolled with the plans of raising the strength to 1.5 million, spread over 788 units under 95 NCC groups lead

by ADG/DDG of the ranks of Major General/Brigadier equivalent in 17 Regional Directorates under the DG

NCC as an optional Co-curricular activity (NCC India) .

Now National Cadet Corps (NCC) would not remain an extra-curricular activity and recently at least 91

universities across the country have adopted it as General Elective Credit Course (GECC) under the Choice

Based Credit System (CBCS) by the letter received from the University Grants Commission vide D.O.No.1-

18/2019 (CPP-II) dated April 15 2021 to implement NEP-2020. Current retrospective analysis intends to grasp

and assess the military-oriented NCC curriculum (NCC Studies) prescribed as an elective subject by the UGC

and envisioned in NEP 2020.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue X October 2025

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Need and Significance

With the increasing complexities of life and society, our traditional education and teaching cannot prepare

young minds for their future life. That is why students find themselves standing nowhere after passing out of

college with good grades. There is an urgent need to have a holistic education (all round development)

program to enhance the student's leadership abilities and emotional maturity and prepare them for life.

Academics alone needed to be more to satisfy education's aims. Purely academic people with disordered

personalities cannot develop holistically. Overall development includes personal and professional

improvement. Will teaching-learning processes bring about holistic development? Without a doubt, the answer

is 'no'. The researcher felt the necessity to understand how this National Cadet Corps Programme contributes

through participating in various curricular and co-curricular activities in the development of the leadership

infusing holistic development in young adolescents as envisaged in NEP 2020. It is advantageous to look at

fostering leadership during adolescence since what occurs during these formative years may impact the

leadership behaviour demonstrated as adults. As a result, studying teenage leadership behaviour can aid in our

understanding of adult leaders. (Schneider, Paul, White, & Holcombe, 1999). The need of the hour is to

study NCC cadets' motivation, leadership qualities, decision-making, risk-taking behaviour, and other factors

traditionally embedded in the all-round development of personality curriculum prescribed by UGC as an

elective credit course.

Research Question

i. How is it justifiable offering NCC Studies as an elective credit course in higher education institutes to

align with New Education Policy 2020?

Figure 1: Components of Holistic Education

NCC is an Elective Credit Course:

NCC as a credit course is designed with the intent to transform NCC training into a curricular activity from an

extra-curricular thereby providing academic credits to students undergoing NCC training along with other

attended advantages to the cadets in the university.

While introducing ‘NCC Studies’ as an optional subject The sole objective was to inculcate in young minds

with the values of selfless service and the development of character, courage, comradeship, discipline,

leadership, a secular outlook, and an adventurous and sportsmanlike spirit. The same philosophy is adhered to,

where the syllabus apart from having social relevance in the Indian milieu has emphasis on the all-round

development of personality. Moreover, with the academic acknowledgement, the cadets will be better

equipped to take up careers in civil services, defence, paramilitary, police and security forces further

prompting increased demand by the students, augmenting recruitment standards of NCC. Above all the

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

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students will get an opportunity to select credits of their own choice thus making a humble beginning of the

‘choice based credit system’ in its true sense the facility of ‘credit transfer’.

Implementation Status / Existing Policy Provisions.

(a) Higher Education (UGC). Based on decision taken MHRD, the University Grants Commission issued a

circular D.O. No.F.14-25/2016 (CPP-II) dt11 Nov 2016 (Enclosure II), permitting NCC to be offered as an

elective subject by all Universities. However, it is offered by only a handful of colleges.

Figure 2: Implementation Framework of NCC Studies under NEP 2020

(b) School Education (CBSE). CBSE has issued a circular No Acad 25/2013 dated 12.04.2013 for

introduction of NCC as optional academic elective at Senior Secondary Level. Very few schools offer NCC

and it’s not popular with students.

NEP 2020 states “Under the aegis of the Ministry of Defence, State Governments may encourage opening

NCC wings in their secondary and higher secondary schools, including those located in tribal dominated areas.

This will enable harnessing of the natural talent and unique potential of students, which in turn would help

them to aspire to a successful career in the defence forces”. This nudging statement is of little value since

taking up NCC as elective subject has not been made mandatory.

The NCC Cadets' current obligation resides in the organisation's declared objective to promote individual

leadership growth for the civilian and military benefit and to nurture leadership development in members and

leaders. This attracts many researchers to investigate the military-oriented training curriculum prescribed by

CBSE and approved by UGC.

Figure 3: Conceptual Model of NCC Studies and Holistic Development

Recent Research and Development in the Field

The literature review thus helps monitor intellectual contribution in the domain and fresh interpretations of

existing resources to inform ongoing study. This procedure will provide the most relevant facts for formulating

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

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the research hypothesis. Early attempts to explore leadership in higher education indicated that student

leadership was a specialized subject of inquiry. Student leadership involves demonstrating appropriate

behaviours and interactions and fostering them in subordinates through communication, reinforcement, and

decision-making. A values-based, team-oriented, accountability-centred leadership development programme

where people dedicate themselves to helping society is something that higher education institutions should

learn from the military. (Schroeder,1998). Blackwell (2004) evaluated that Military Cadets were more likely

to exhibit leadership and management than non-military cadets. Bartone et al. (2007) attempted to educate

and develop future military commanders to be competent, ethical, and successful leaders. They studied West

Point College, USA students for four years to answer three questions. Does cadets' psychological development

alter or grow? (ii) Does psychological growth affect leadership? Two groups of cadets, from first-year

students through seniors, were studied. 47% of research participants showed positive progress over time, with

most growth from sophomore to senior year. The prerequisites for ethical leadership in the Army of the Czech

Republic are moral education, the ethical leadership of military professionals, and the readiness of the military

environment to adopt ethical leadership (Mikulka, 2018). Mohan Kumar, B. (2012) stated that combining

extracurricular and curricular activities can give students access to a perfect and vibrant social environment.

The courses need to provide a perfect and comprehensive social life; this is where co-curricular activities are

required and are seen widely in the NCC curriculum. Kerlinger, (2007). Early attempts to understand

leadership and personality in higher education focused on student leadership and their traits. NCC is one of the

finest and pioneer institution-based military programs in India, which serves the state as socially responsible

citizens with high civic sense while fostering leadership among young students, producing world-class military

leaders. Huda, K et.al., (2024), Youth represent a pivotal demographic and social asset for every nation,

serving as a critical component for national human resource development. Strategic investment in systematic

and well planned Youth Development Training (YDT) can unlock their innate potential and equip them to

navigate career challenges effectively. The Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) offers YDT as a

significant intervention for youth development, potentially fostering both individual growth and the sustainable

progress of Bangladesh. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of BNCC's YDT in developing leadership

qualities, personal skills, and community development attitudes through quantitative analysis. Nanaware R,

(2023) examined the relevance of trait emotional intelligence and the military-oriented training curriculum in

the holistic development of NCC cadets and evaluate the effectiveness of the NCC Programme. The notable

findings of this study were: (i) there were significant differences between NCC cadets and non-NCC college

students concerning components of TEI and Leadership Development. (ii) The NCC cadets were found to

possess a higher level of trait emotional intelligence than their non-NCC counterparts. Oden and Lohani

(2015) advocated for military training research and development. There is a need to equip war combatants with

skills that allow them to detect and regulate their emotions in high-stakes circumstances through EI training.

This explains how emotion recognition/regulation tactics can be used in military training to replace ineffective

decision-making with constructive reactions to difficult situations. Jackson et al., (2012) in their paper titled

Military Training and Personality Trait Development: Does the Military Make the Man, or Does the Man

Make the Military? The findings revealed that personality factors influenced the decision to join the military in

the future. Lt Hitesh Sharma (2025) Studied NCC Open Elective Course with Reference to Community

Development and Social Service Activities, findings revealed that the The NCC cadets and Associated NCC

Officers “expressed favorable Reaction towards different aspects of NCC as an open elective course and

Overall NCC training on the whole.

Research Outcomes

i. Recent researches implies that traditional education and teaching cannot prepare young minds for

future life due to the rising complexities of life, society, and unhealthy competition and lacks constructive

approach to resolve this grave issue.

ii. The NEP 2020 envisages that after graduating, instead of leaving them in limbo, preparing them for life

through a military-oriented holistic education curriculum (NCC Studies) is vital.

iii. The NCC Studies allows youngsters to increase their knowledge, skills, talents, and employment

prospects, including opportunities to join the military at various levels. It is deemed necessary to achieve this

goal by understanding military pedagogy.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

ISSN No. 2454-6186 | DOI: 10.47772/IJRISS | Volume IX Issue X October 2025

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Figure 4: Research Framework of the Study

RECOMMENDATIONS

The physical and physiological adaptations among men and women towards the combination of National

Cadet Corps training with a specific physical exercise training programme will have certain differences.

Therefore, the same study may be conducted for the male students below and over twelve weeks to test the

physical and physiological adaptations of the training period using the same criterion variables.

Relevance for Policy-Making:

i. As a result, the NCC Directorate, Indian educationists, educational planners, parents, and members of

the general public may benefit from this research to better understand the efficiency of this training

curriculum, which may further propel the existing NCC curriculum.

ii. The findings may serve as empirical evidence and a foundation for educational administration and

planners to vigorously promote such Programmes in educational institutions.

Besides military training in military academies, regular colleges provide academics, sports, and socialising

through diverse classrooms and cutting-edge technology for innovations.

Figure 5: Policy–Practice Interface Model

iii. Attending a military college also provides a path to a career in the armed forces. In essence, many

military institutions require their graduates to serve in the military for a certain period.

iv. Our training methodology of NCC has to be re-evaluated in line with India's changing socio-economic

structure and the aspirations that have resulted from it.

v. Changes in India's socio-economic structure and consequent ambitions necessitated A new assessment

of our NCC training methods. Because modern educational theory and practice prioritise a child's holistic

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN SOCIAL SCIENCE (IJRISS)

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development, it is critical in today's educational environment to coordinate several activities per the

contemporary curriculum.

Relevance for Society:

i. Military academies provide a regular college experience (academics, athletics, socialising, and

extracurricular activities) and military training. Attending a military college also opens the door to a career in

one of the military services.

ii. By identifying the orientations of leadership participants following their viewpoints on present

operational levels, leadership development among college students will be more fully understood and

promoted.

iii. It is a ground-breaking attempt in educational psychology to comprehend the theoretical and

conceptual significance of trait emotional intelligence in combination with leadership qualities and

competencies, the most recent evolutionary step in education.

iv. It is a serious step toward understanding trait emotional intelligence and the actions taken to strengthen

students' cognitive abilities, beginning in their early formative years and aimed at equipping them with the

ability to effectively manage their emotions within themselves and in relationships with others.

v. Students who participate in military-oriented training activities like NCC Cadets' rigorous training

include physical and mental endurance tests that help develop their emotional strength and maturity.

CONCLUSION

The literature review shows that the present study is pioneering endeavor on retrospective aspect of the NCC

as an “Elective Credit Course” in HEIs under the Choice Based Credit System aimed to assess its current

status, thus to fill a gap and inform future research. The NCC cadets' military training is heavily weighted

toward the all-round development of an individual. The curriculum includes objectives to inculcate a sense of

patriotism and secular values and motivate cadets to contribute towards nation-building through national unity

and social cohesion, drill and weapon training, leadership development, all-round dynamic personality, social

awareness and community development, adventure, and environmental awareness and conservation. ( NCC

India). The sole objective is to inculcate in young people the values of selfless service and the development of

character, courage, comradeship, discipline, leadership, a secular outlook, and an adventurous and

sportsmanlike spirit. Thus the present endeavor reveals why sophomores favour military-oriented training as

their top choice at the schools and colleges after competing and completing a rigorous battery of tests.

REFERENCES

1. Blackwell, E. S. (2004, November 15). A study of the perceived leadership orientations of selected

leaders and members of the Corps of Cadets at Texas A&M University through application of the

Competing Values Framework. Oaktrust.library.tamu.edu. https://hdl.handle.net/1969.1/1045

2. Johnson, K. D. (1974). Ethical Issues Of Military Leadership. The US Army War College Quarterly:

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3. Kerlinger, F. N., & Lee, H. B. (2007). Foundations of behavioral research. Wadsworth

4. Mikulka, Z. (2018). Development Of Prerequisites For Ethical Leadership In The Army Of The Czech

Republic.

5. Nanaware, R. ( 2023) . Humanities and Social Science Studies, Vol. 11 (2).

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Media. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-88370-0_5

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