Zahid mulls longer NS courses

May 26, 2011

Three months was not enough for the NS to achieve its aims, said Zahid. file picKUALA LUMPUR, May 26 The National Service training length may be extended after Defence Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today complained the existing three-month course was insufficient to instil trainees with a sense of patriotism.The minister said the issue will be raised when the National Service Training Council next meets.Today, Ahmad Zahid also aid the National Service Training Department will soon add a module to educate participants on the importance of voting once they become eligible to do so at the age of 21.We'll invite the Election Commission to brief the trainees on their voting rights when they become eligible, he was quoted as saying by Bernama Online.He also dismissed criticism of the programme as, among others, being ineffectual and a serious drain on national coffers at a time when the government is struggling to keep a rein on a growing financial deficit.A number of trainee deaths within the programme have also led parents to question the measures put in place to ensure the safety of the students.The programme, introduced in 2003, randomly selects 18-year-olds to participate in a three-month long course ostensibly to impart a sense of patriotism and unity in participants. Participation is mandatory upon selection.The National Service is estimated to cost around RM560 million for 2011.