Did you read yesterday's The Star on 'A trainee's account on the NS programme' (7/6/08)?
While the government is strongly sticking to its story that the National Service programme is achieving its objectives, here's one trainee who thinks otherwise. Here are some excerpts:
...First of all, I would disagree if anyone were to ask me whether it was a waste of time spending three months completing my service stint. However, I do not think that I have greatly benefited from the programme either.
...However, it has failed to achieve its main objective – to instil patriotism and promote racial unity.
It is a frail attempt to inculcate these virtues in a short period of three months. I would not deny that to some, it may have succeeded, but to most of us, it has failed.
...Furthermore, I was saddened because inter-racial friendship merely existed superficially for most of the trainees.
He/she also commented on the firearms training:
I seriously hope that the government would review the firearms training. I think that it is only a gimmick to please teenagers such as me. It merely provides few minutes' surge of adrenalin at the cost of hard-earned taxpayer’s money.
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