KUALA LUMPUR: More youths are turning up for the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0 than there are places available, resulting in some being turned away because of limited camp capacity, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Defence Minister Adly Zahari said the number of walk-in volunteers exceeded the quota in some intakes.
"In several cases, volunteers came in numbers higher than what we expected. There was one case where participants exceeded capacity, and some who came were disappointed when they could not join," he said during Question Time on Monday (June 22).
He said the ministry has improved the system by registering volunteers earlier so that numbers match the places available.
Detailed figures on the percentage of volunteers will be given to the Home Ministry, he added.
Datuk Khlir Mohd Nor (PN-Ketereh) had asked about the number of trainees who had joined PLKN 3.0 so far, how many were volunteers, and why some who were called up did not attend.
Adly said 1,202 trainees joined PLKN 3.0 last year, while 2,202 more took part up to the second series this year, making a total of 3,404.
"We expect that by the end of this year, we will have up to 4,200 trainees in three training camps. We are also completing nine more camps and expect to train up to 9,200 participants by next year," he said.
On those who did not attend after being called, he said some had health problems, some were pursuing further studies, and others simply did not turn up.
Those with temporary health issues may be allowed to join a later session.
Earlier, in reply to Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa (PH-Sekijang), Adly said the ministry had set key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure PLKN 3.0's effectiveness in building human capital.
Each trainee must score at least 80% in six areas: patriotism, unity, discipline and self-change, mental strength, military knowledge, and volunteerism.
Surveys and impact studies were conducted before and after training with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) to look at overall nationwide results.
"Overall, the objectives and KPIs have been achieved and all indicators show improvement after trainees complete the programme," he said.
He said patriotism rose from about 82% before training to nearly 89%; discipline went up from 77% to 93%; mental strength rose from 71% to 83%; military knowledge increased from 56% to 84%; while volunteerism rose from 75% to 83%.
