Bangladesh Military Academy

Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) the national institution for training of defense staff. It was established at Comilla on 11 January 1974 with the objective of developing proper leadership for raising a professional army. The motto of the academy is the verse of poet kazi nazrul islam that goes, Chira Unnata Momo Shir (I hold my head ever high). In March 1976, the academy was shifted to its present premises at Bhatiari, Chittagong. It introduced regular training courses in 1978. The Academy received the National Standards Award in 1979, in the convocation of its first batch of trainees under the BMA long courses programme. It has been offering military training to cadets of the navy and air force since 1983.

The training programmes in the academy are designed to turn the cadets into professional military officers physically, morally and intellectually. Through a two-year academic programme, the academy prepares cadets to sit in the examinations for graduation under the national university. After successful completion of training in the Academy, the cadets thus simultaneously get a commission and the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Commerce, or of Science.

The Academy introduced a Civil Service Officers Orientation Course in 1984 with the objectives of making civil officers conscious of their roles in national defense and consolidating the relationship between the civil and military staff. Carefully selected young army officers are given training under the Potential Platoon Commander Courses. However, the government is yet to implement many plans and programmes for modernising the training system of the academy. [Sadat Ullah Khan] [Khan, Sadat Ullah Researcher and writer, Dhaka]