First introduced in 2004, it was halted in 2015, reintroduced in 2016, and participation was made optional in 2019.
Well now, it’s officially back with Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh, a member of the Parliamentary Special Select Committee on Security making an official announcement that the pilot version of the programme would begin this year involving Form Four students.
As reported by The Star, Syed Ibrahim, also the Ledang MP, said, “The pilot programme will happen this year, involving Form Four students, but it will not be as rigorous as you might think. No military training yet.”
He added, “It will not be like going to camp – not yet, because we don’t have all the facilities ready since our (military and police) camps need to be refurbished first. This pilot programme will focus more on the spirit of nationalism.”
The main goals
These are the main takeaways of the new PLKN 3.0 according to Syed Ibrahim:
- One of the primary goals of PLKN 3.0 is to foster unity among participants of various races and religions.
- The full PLKN 3.0 training will only begin next year, as the Ministry of Defence Malaysia (MINDEF) is still finalising details, e.g., the module that will be used.
- MINDEF is looking to gather 10,000 students per session next year at refurbished camps nationwide. There will be three sessions of PLKN and 10,000 students per session, which means in total there will be 30,000 participants a year. For comparison, there are a total of around 400,000 Form 4 students each year.
- However, due to a lack of facilities, it will likely start with a small group of 2,000 to 5,000 students. The refurbishment of the facilities will likely take place next year, but more federal funding is necessary.
- The timeline of each session of PLKN 3.0 is not confirmed. There will probably be one session during the first quarter of the year, the second session in the second quarter, and so on.
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Syed Ibrahim explained that the committee is expecting a full proposal from MINDEF this year before the pilot programme kicks off.
He added that the ministry will table it with the Cabinet first. He clarified that the Select Committee can summon relevant stakeholders and address their concerns.
Concerns raised by parents and stakeholders include possible bullying, sexual harassment, and racially motivated fights according to recent reports.
These are the incidents which have previously occurred at PLKN camps:
- In 2009, a female trainee at the Chini training camp was allegedly molested by more than 20 male trainees at night
- Four days later, a fight believed to be racially motivated took place at the camp’s canteen between two groups of students.
- In 2004, a trainee was raped at the Merang camp in Setiu, Terengganu.
- In 2013, it was reported that a total of 23 deaths were recorded at camps nationwide since the NS training programme started in December 2003.
As this writer recalls, during her time, you were either excited to go for NS or you totally dreaded it.
What are your thoughts on the new programme? Let us know in the comments.
Image credit: Astro Awani, The Star