The Student Police Cadet (SPC), the school-based project initiated by Kerala Police jointly implemented by the Department of Home Affairs and the Department of Education. The departments of Forests, Transport, Excise, and the Local Self-Governments associate with SPC. Designed to carve out future leaders, the SPC envisages inculcating civility, discipline, respect for law of the land, resistance to social evils, and empathy towards weaker sections of people. SPC aims also at commitment towards the family, the community, and the environment.
SPC was launched on 2nd August 2010 and is implemented currently through 60000 cadets of 702 schools located in 19 Police Districts. The project is facilitated by 1404 Civil Police Officers. The acceptance of the SPC among students, teachers, and civil society prompted the Union Government to emulate it in all the States and Union Territories of India.
The motto of SPC is ‘We learn to serve’. The cadets of SPC are molded to respect the law with firm civic sense, democratic values, and selfless service to the society. They have to maintain good health, physical and mental health, self-control, and discipline. With a sense of deep social commitment, the SPC cadets fight the social evils as drug and alcohol abuse, vandalism, separatism, and terrorism.
The SPC Unit of our school started in 2014. The Junior SPC Unit functions with 22 boys and 22 girls of Class VIII who are selected through a written test and check on their physical endurance. The Senior SPC Unit also has 22 boys and 22 girls of Class IX who are promoted from Class VIII. The activities of the unit are scheduled to be held on Tuesdays and Saturdays under the monitoring of Station House Officer of Kayamkulam Police Station. The Physical Training, parade, and Road March of the SPC Cadets are held under the supervision of one male Police Officer and one female Police Officer.
While the parade alone is held on Tuesday evenings, both parade and physical training are held from 7:30 am on Saturdays. From 10:00 am onwards, the cadets have to attend classes and exercises on personality development, leadership skills, and environmental lessons. Classes on law, cleanliness & personal hygiene, control of alcohol & drug abuse, etc. are also conducted on these days. Special audio-video classes named ‘Drisyapaadom’ are handled by experts from different walks of life.
The SPC Unit activities of the school commence with the ‘Pravesanolsavam’ ( School re-opening day) and conclude with the Summer Vacation camps. Three-day camps are conducted also during Onam and Christmas vacations. Indoor and outdoor classes are part of these camps. The cadets also visit forest and wildlife sanctuaries to know more about nature. Special parades are part of the celebrations on Independence Day & Republic Day. The cadets observe Teachers’ Day, Anti-Drug abuse Day, Hiroshima Day, International Yoga Day, and the like with special events.
The SPC Unit carries out special projects as My Tree, Friends at Home, Subha Yathra, Health & Care counseling, Kerala Against Drug Addiction, Integrated Waste Management, etc. The cadets actively involve in the Palliative Care activities and support social causes as ‘Home for the Homeless’.
Ms. Anitha (Teacher) co-ordinates the SPC Unit activities.