KUALA LUMPUR: A day after a bipartisan parliamentary committee’s pushback on the revamped National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0, the Defence Minister says it is being implemented based on thorough and in-depth studies.
Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said several academic studies have been conducted in a “quantitative and qualitative manner” to gauge the impact of the programme.“Statistics on youth involvement and trainees’ satisfaction level as well as the measure of patriotism have shown positive results.
“PLKN 3.0 will be conducted with a new concept and format for Malaysians aged 17 and above starting next year.
“The new concept and format have taken into account the assessment of past programmes,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Mohamed Khaled’s comments followed the statement made by the parliamentary panel on Thursday urging the government not to proceed with the revamped PLKN 3.0, with the reasons being that it lacks clear targets and needs greater scrutiny.
The Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Nation-Building, Education and Human Resources Development called for a deeper study to be carried out should the government stick to its mid-2025 implementation target.Mohamed Khaled said the programme is clearly designed to spur on the formation of a new generation that prioritises patriotism, practises good values, embraces unity and champions volunteerism.
“It will also play a role in sparking the interest of youth in exploring a military career and contributing to the nation,” he added.
PLKN 3.0, Mohamed Khaled noted, encompasses elements of statehood in its module – strong character, love of country and unity – to meet its set objectives.Mohamed Khaled also said that when comparing PLKN 3.0 to similar National Service programmes in other countries, the latter are often more focused on active military service in the long-term and for a longer duration.
“To ensure that all weaknesses of past programmes do not recur, the ministry is making ample preparations to conduct trial training and a pioneer project for PLKN 3.0 at Territorial Army (Wataniah) camps as early as January,” he said.
To minimise expenditure, the ministry will conduct the programme at 13 Wataniah camps, 20 public universities and teacher training institutes as well as several polytechnics nationwide, he added.
The ministry, said Mohamed Khaled, is of the view that efforts to instil patriotism and build strong character among the youth must not be made secondary in nature during the programme.
