Proposal to increase National Service intake by 33% next year

Despite recent public calls to do away National Service in the wake of several deaths involving trainees, the National Service Training Department is proposingto increase the intake of trainees by another 33% to 140,000 next year.

NS Training Council (NSTC) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said June 6 the proposal to increase the number of trainees from the present 110,000 to 14,0,000 will be forwarded to deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak who is also defence minister soon.

He said, at the same time, to cater for the increase in trainnees, the NSTC will propose that the number of NS training camps around the country be increased from 84 presently to 90, Speaking to newsmen after closing the NS programme's 5th series at the Sungai Rait camp near Miri, he said the NSTC agreed to the proposal after going over records from the National Registration Department that revealed that about 490,000 born in 1991 will be 18 years old and eligible for NS training in 2009.

As to the funding for the programme, Lee said the budget needed for the increased intake would be announced by the defence ministry. The NS budget for this year is RM500 million.

Lee said the NS Training Department has also suggested that a forum be held at the end of the year to evaluate the NS programme's success from various aspects including health, safety and effectiveness of its training modules. - Sun2surf

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