As a well-established and reputable educational institution, TAR UC's main focus has always been to provide a holistic education for its students - one that does not only promote academic excellence, but also strives to produce well-balanced individuals who are strong physically, mentally, emotionally, as well as in their character, as a whole. And one extra-curricular activity offered within the institution which embodies almost all of these aspects is none other than the Askar Wataniah Unit, which regularly recruits students to be part of a basic military training programme under the Regiment 515 Askar Wataniah. Spanning 30 days, the programme usually starts during the semester break in September, and is available to students from both the Kuala Lumpur Main Campus as well as the Perak Branch Campus.
Going through this military-based training is definitely no easy feat. Known to be a rather challenging course involving various physically as well as mentally-demanding activities, it requires a high level of discipline, perseverance, physical fitness and most importantly, a strong mentality. So, it was indeed a cause to celebrate when yet another batch of TAR UC students successfully completed the training under this year's Regiment 515 Askar Wataniah Camp Siri 3/2016. The students were involved in a passing out parade held for all recruits of the programme on 22 October 2016 at Jalan Ampang. A total of 65 out of the 100 recruits in the parade were TAR UC students and present to support them was Dr Chook Ka Joo, Vice President of TAR UC. Garnering even more pride for the University College was Diploma in Business Studies (International Business), Year 2 student, Ong Kuan Sern, who was presented with the 'Best Marching Award' at the event.
When interviewed, Ong was happy to share how much he benefited from the camp. He said, "I definitely learnt how to be more disciplined at the camp. As students, our time is very flexible. But at the camp, we had a strict schedule to follow. Our days usually began at 6am. We were also given some chores to do." Relating the more challenging parts of the training, he added, "At night, we usually did not get enough sleep - only 3 hours a day on average. Although this may seem unhealthy, it is essential in preparing us for war when there is a high chance we will be sleep-deprived."
Ong was also rather enthusiastic when recounting on the warfare assimilation activities at the camp whereby the recruits were exposed to the challenging conditions and circumstances prevalent in war zones. He explained that there were two types of warfare assimilation practices. The first one, which lasted for two days and one night, involved battling against small terrorist groups. "The second one was even more challenging," he recalled. "The assimilation was held at a palm oil plantation where we had to carry food rations for five days."
Although the main purpose of the Askar Wataniah programme is ultimately to recruit volunteers as a reserve army to defend the country during emergency situations, the experience that the students gain from it is worth far beyond that. According to Ms Ong Bee Leng, the mother of Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science, Year 1 student, Andrew Cheah, "The training has definitely toughened up my son." She also expressed her amazement by the amount of discipline that was instilled in him. "I very much encourage all young people to join this programme at least once in their lifetime as it trains the body, mind and soul. I would also like to thank TAR UC for bringing this programme to them," she added.
