KUALA LUMPUR: The National Service (NS) Training Programme (PLKN) will become an initiative under the National Blue Ocean Strategy 10 (NBOS 10) to enable its direct involvement in achieving the national agenda.
Defence Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein said under NBOS 10, the National Service Training Department (JLKN) would boost cooperation with ministries and agencies to ensure the programme had a major impact on society.
The ministries and agencies involved in the NBOS 10 initiative were the Home Ministry, Education Ministry, Health Ministry and Youth and Sport Ministry (KBS), he said.
He said, through the NBOS 10, the cooperation would give a high impact to society through volunteer programmes, unity and love for nation and saving on government costs.
“For example, JLKN has cooperated with the Malaysian Prisons’ Department on the laundering of PLKN trainees’ clothes by inmates. This saves 30 per cent on costs compared to ordinary contracts,” he told reporters after attending a National Service Training Council meeting here, yesterday.
He said the PLKN training module would also receive inputs from 38 government agencies including the Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM), police (PDRM), National Civics Bureau and Youth and Sports Ministry.
“The module will involve enlightening the trainees on the intrusion incident in Lahad Datu, so that the younger generation is aware of what took place and what PDRM and ATM went through at that time,” he said.
Hishammuddin said although the PLKN had been implemented for 10 years, its objective had not been fully achieved and as such it would be improved from time to time.
“It is time for us to undergo a transformation to ensure PLKN stays relevant as the main instrument to prepare younger generations for future challenges.
“Ten years is enough to enable us to determine where we want to go. We will undertake a paradigm shift to achieve a higher level of achievement. We will also implement cost effective measures to avoid wastage and overlapping,” he said. — Bernama