The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) has concluded the 22nd National Cadet Camp.
The camp was concluded with a special ceremony held at Girifushi, Kaafu Atoll. The closing ceremony was attended by Minister of Defence Mariya Ahmed Didi who addressed the cadets of the camp. The defence minister also presented certificates and prizes to the top 10 cadets of the camp. A total of eight cadets from India and Nepal also participated in the camp as part of the International Cadet Exchange Programme conducted by the National Cadet Corps every year.
The objectives of the cadet camp include providing an opportunity to educate and shape the soul in an environment of learning military skills and teaching some basic military skills. The camp also aims to instil a spirit of friendship and unity among the students, good manners and behaviour, respect for laws and regulations and the importance of patriotic spirit.
Subjects taught at this year's cadet camp included drill, physical training, watermanship, first aid, weapon handling, basic fieldcraft, unarmed combat, leadership, firefighting, and maritime studies. In addition, Islam lectures were given to familiarise the students of the camp with religion and students were taught the habit of praying five times a day.
MNDF stated that a total of 33 schools from different parts of the country participated in the camp. Cadets from 13 schools from the Greater Male' Region and 20 schools in the atolls of the Maldives participated in the camp. As such, a total of 117 cadets participated in the camp which included 60 male cadets and 57 female cadets.