National Police Training Center will be Afghanistan's largest

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN

04.20.2011

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ernesto Hernandez Fonte 

NATO Training Mission Afghanistan

KABUL- The National Police Training Center in Wardak province is developing into one Afghanistan's largest and most diverse centers for police instruction.

The center includes all support structures necessary to support students and their Afghan instructors including classrooms, barracks, a dining facility, equipment warehouses and a modern clinic.

"The Wardak Center clinic can provide long term treatment for ten sick personnel at once," said Maj. Latif Ahmad Nori, who practices internal medicine. "We have several offices including a first aid office, an emergency room, a pharmacy which is constantly increasing its stock and laboratory.

"This is not a combat facility; we don't get many heavy injuries," said Nori about working in the clinic."I'm very happy to be working in the clinic at an Afghan training center. To help my people is the greatest honor."

The training center, half of which is under construction, currently trains more than 300 students. At its next phase, the center’s capacity will reach more than 600 and increase throughout 2011 to a final capacity of 3,000.

"My parents and elders have told me that this is my motherland, this is my country, and it's my responsibility to protect my country. That is why I joined the police," said Sayed Hazrat, a recruit currently attending NPTC. "The facilities here are exactly what we need."

“We need to receive professional training to serve in a professional way," added Hazrat, as his class was released. Classes are taught by Afghan instructors partnered with NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan advisors from France, Czech Republic and Portugal.

"The Afghan instructors are young and very energetic about doing a good job teaching the class," ANP Col. Khalil, commander of NPTC. "They have a good relationship with students and are coordinating well with international instructors.

"There has been a lot of progress and we are in the process of reconstruction," said Khalil, who has served 33 years in the police force. "We have seen the progress of the world through the international instructors and we will eventually reach that level of professionalism through what we have here."

Khalil wants recruits who attend NPTC to tell their families that they learned to be Afghan policemen who are responsible while protecting rule and law of Afghanistan.

"When the student's come here, they hope to learn security to defend the country," said 3rd Lt. Farid Agha Maliki. Maliki gives instruction for hands on activities such as sports, weapons and tactics training. As a student he wanted to be an instructor. When he graduated as the top student he was given that opportunity.

"There two types of instructors," said Maliki. "There are the ones who teach and learn. Second, there are the ones who just stand in front of the class without knowledge and don't learn. The first one is the best one and that is what I try to be."

Maliki emphasized the words "teach" and "stand" as he spoke. Two words which sound very similar in Dari, one of Afghanistan's main languages. He wants to be an instructor who teaches a class, not just stands in front of it. He enjoys learning from both students as well as fellow instructors and has realized that to be a good instructor you have to be a student.

"So far everything is working smoothly," said Khalil "As you can see from the construction of this compound; it is growing so that we can train even more students with quality instructors, training and facilities." A ribbon cutting is planned for the center later this summer.

• Date Taken: 04.20.2011
• Date Posted: 04.20.2011 11:31
• Story ID: 69030
• Location: KABUL, AF