On a typical day an Officer Trainee (OT) is up by 6 am for morning exercise at the Polo Ground for 60 minutes. The riding schedule operates at the same time (and also at other times during the day as per batch size). The OTs thereafter have about an hour and half to get ready, have breakfast and report for classroom sessions, which typically commence at 9:30 am.
There are 5-6 academic sessions of 55 minutes (length may vary from course to course) each on working days as per a pre-determined session plan. Curricular Inputs are given in various subjects of social, economic, political impotence like History, Political Science, Economics, Law, ICT, Public Administration and Management & Behavioural Science. Evening hours could be varied from time to time for extra-curricular module, sports, riding etc. Cultural performances and programmes are also scheduled occasionally in the evening before dinner. The OTs use the pre and post-dinner time to interact with each other and also to review the day’s learning and prepare for the sessions of the next day. Extra-curricular activities such as short treks, community services, adventure sports-rock climbing, para-gliding, river rafting etc. are also organized on holidays and weekends. A course usually demands 8-10 hours of activity per day, which totals to about 60 hours of academic and other engagements per week.
Officers under training are encouraged to lead a rich, varied and vibrant campus life extending beyond the confines of lecture halls. At the Academy, outdoor events are an integral part of the dynamic training curriculum. Our Happy Valley Sports Complex has been expanded to meet the growing physical training needs of the times. It has a state-of-the art gymnasium, badminton, squash, lawn tennis courts, cycles, football and hockey ground, to assist officers under training to improve their proficiency in sports and games. A swimming pool is under construction. It will be operational soon. The Academy also has a full-fledged horse-riding infrastructure with instructors drawn from the best in the elite Army unit that is the President’s Body Guards. The horse riding establishment has been shifted from March, 2017 to its new location in the Polo Ground.
As part of the induction level training curriculum, Officer Trainees are sent on treks in and around Mussoorie and to the Greater Himalayas. They learn to cope with conditions of adversity, bad weather, insufficient accommodation and limited access to food. Visits and stay in backward villages help to understand and appreciate the realities of rural life. Officer Trainees are encouraged to take up extra-curricular modules and cultivate in-depth interest and proficiency in any hobby of choice. To achieve this, they are encouraged to participate in the activities of various clubs and societies in order to express their creative potential. The various clubs and societies in the Academy include:
