PETALING JAYA: Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan has shared comprehensive insights into the latest iteration of the National Service Training Programme (PLKN), known as PLKN 3.0, following the program’s reinstatement. In response to a query posed by Dr. Mohammed Taufiq Johari, Member of Parliament for Sungai Petani, the Minister detailed the program’s two-phase approach, targeting Malaysian youths between the ages of 16 and 35.
Students in Form 4 will be the main participants in the first phase, which is scheduled to occur in schools. It will be centered on encouraging their participation in uniformed extracurricular activities, which will include a wide variety of activities such as scouting, law enforcement, and firefighting.
Notably, Form 5 students have been kept out of this phase so they can focus on their exams for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM).
The subsequent phase, Phase 2, unfolds after the completion of the school-oriented activities and is tailored for SPM graduates. This segment of the program extends for 45 days, with 90% of the training dedicated to fundamental military training and the remaining 10% allocated to nation-building endeavors.
Thirteen Territorial Army Camps around the country and the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Kuala Lumpur will be used to support this second phase.
The anticipated cost of the revived initiative, which has a yearly budget of RM100 million—a significant decrease from the RM500 million spent on the previous PLKN 2.0 program—was also disclosed by the Minister of Defence.
