Twenty-seven persons have enrolled in a groundbreaking leader sergeants training programme by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) which aims to ‘create a professional cadre of senior non-commissioned ranks’ to augment its operations.
The main objectives of the six-month Leader Sergeants Course-01, which started on October 29 at the new Sergeants Academy in Timehri, is “to enable students to effectively perform the duties of a sergeant in the GDF and to administer and lead soldiers in the absence of the Officer”, a press release from the Government Information Agency (GINA) said.
The programme is the brainchild of army Chief of Staff Commodore Gary Best and it’s the first of its kind in the English-speaking Caribbean.
In his address at the opening ceremony held at the Jaguar Lecture Hall, Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri, Best noted that the sergeant is considered the backbone of the military and is at the apex of middle-management of the other-rank corps. With this programme, the GDF has now completed the necessary levels of leadership training.
The design and implementation of this course was driven by a need to develop leaders at the middle management level, provide opportunities to the men and women with academic skills, to hone those skills into leadership outcomes at the level of sergeant; and to capture those men and women who are over qualified for the Basic Recruit Course and under qualified for the Officer Cadet Course, GINA said.
The Chief of Staff said the course will focus on four themes: competence, leadership, loyalty and discipline, which are critical qualities in any sergeant.
“As a leader sergeant you will be expected to do the right thing unsupervised, as a leader sergeant you will be expected to supervise when you are unsupervised and you will be expected to uphold the standards of the GDF,” he said.
Best also urged the participants to obey all orders and commands and to be truthful and honest at all times, as this contributes greatly to strengthening the chain of command to which they belong.
Colonel Khemraj Persaud said over time and with proper direction, Sergeants Academy will yield results that will significantly enhance the operations of the Force. The Academy will be officially commissioned at a later date.
The programme will conclude in May 2013.
