84 / 409
TRAINING THE TRAINERS
68
FIVE
the first intake training had to be staggered among three platoons in terms of training facilities
and included considerable amounts of drill and administrative subjects, it still lasted nearly
eight months. There is also evidence that while the officer cadet phase for the first intake was
being conducted, fresh lessons were being developed and introduced into the syllabus.
V. TALKING THE TALK
In all probability, the misunderstandings between the Advisors and the instructor-trainees in
the preparatory course were literally a communications breakdown. For some time after they
first arrived, the Advisors were described pejoratively as speaking ‘Hebrish.’ As the process
was still in its early days, some aspects of the planned training of the first intake for SAFTI
were still tentative and the Advisors were still busy preparing the package; consequently,
they let the preparatory course proceed on basic assumptions. In the British system, it was
traditionally the role of the NCO to train recruits in weapon handling, field craft, physical
fitness and drill. To the Advisors, the preparatory course was, among other things, to learn
to teach, and it made sense that all concerned should be exposed to a teaching methodology,
the best way being to re-learn, if necessary, what they might have already known, with the
advantage of a common teaching format. What came out instead was the impression that the
trainees were being treated as raw recruits learning baby steps. In fact, in later discussions
with the Chief Advisor, it was noted that the Advisors had felt that the SMF had many
competent officers who should have advanced up the ranks by then.
11
They had had the
confidence that in three months, they could mould a strong team to staff SAFTI from
among those selected for the First Instructors’ Preparatory Course.
James Chia, Jagrup Singh, Naranjan Singh, Omar Alsagofl, Rajaratnam and Micheal Seth.