DOHA: The third batch of Qatari recruits will report for mandatory National Service in Al Shamal early this afternoon, and they will undergo training for over 15 hours a day with not a day off for 50 days.
The batch consists of university students. They will be reporting at the National Service Centre at Al Shamal Camp (Hamad Mechanised Battalion) at 2pm today.
Their training will start early tomorrow morning after the pre-dawn prayers and will continue until the cadets have dinner and go to bed at 10 pm.
“That will be their everyday routine throughout the training period,” said Staff Brigadier Mohamed Misfir Al Ayyadi, commander of the training centre.
The training for batches normally lasts three to four months. The cadets will be entitled to their first weekend off only after 50 days of continuous training and they will be allowed the break individually from Thursdays to Saturdays.
“For 50 days they will not be allowed to leave the camp,” Al Ayyadi told Al Sharq. The cadets will then be eligible to request a weekend off.
Their training will normally start at 5 am, after the morning prayers, and will comprise lessons in civil defence and physical education.
Military training will follow. There will be a break for the noon prayers and one for lunch, and evenings will be reserved for sports activities. The cadets can play football or indoor games like volleyball and basketball.
A large swimming pool will enable those interested in taking a dip to do so. Those not interested in sports can attend lectures.
Mandatory lecture classes will begin after the evening prayers. The cadets can retire only at around 10pm after dinner.
Qatar’s Red Crescent has been roped in to give lectures. National Service is compulsory for all Qatari men aged between 18 and 35 years.
They must train at Al Shamal Camp for three to four months as part of the state’s initiative to build an emergency reserve force. The young men also acquire physical discipline.
On February 15, the second batch of recruits began their National Service and they consisted of secondary school students.
There are plans to draft Qatari women as well into the mandatory National Service but the time frame for that has not been announced.
THE PENINSULA
