<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Fire up NSmen with aid for study, venture
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's letter by Mr Peter Loon Seng Chee, 'Looking for that 'S' factor'.
It is highly unlikely that the Government will grant lifetime free medical care to men doing national service (NS). However, there is another way to make NSmen feel less disadvantaged and less peeved about foreigners and women who do not have to do NS.
During the two years they serve the country, the allowance paid to full-time national servicemen is far below the wages they could earn elsewhere.
Besides this, the time sacrificed and the dangers involved during full-time NS, as well as the subsequent years of reservist training, are surely worth more than what they are currently paid.
Rather than pay them more, why not give each NSman an additional grant equivalent to $10,000 a year, up to a maximum of $40,000, which can be used to fund his studies at any institute of higher learning in Singapore.
For those who are not academically inclined, the money can be used as seed money for them to start their own businesses.
The money can be drawn down over 10 years after NS, but not beyond, and cannot be used if the NSman is employed by others. However, once he starts a business or embarks on a course of study, he can have access to the grant.
This move may turn out to be a win-win situation for all. First, the NSman will feel gratified, which may increase his loyalty to the country. Second, the male population of the country will be better trained as they will have access to higher education, thus making Singapore more competitive in the global workforce. Third, as NSmen bond with one another, ideas may germinate among them for shared business ventures in the future if seed money is available on passing out.
With such a move, NS may become a fertile breeding ground for the entrepreneurs the country badly needs. Not all will be successful, but it will be good if even one in 10 succeeds at a business that provides employment for others.
This money is not a large sum as a working mother earning about $5,000 a month already gets four months of paid maternity leave, or $20,000 per child. On top of this, there is the Baby Bonus.
Dr Anne Chong
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->I REFER to last Saturday's letter by Mr Peter Loon Seng Chee, 'Looking for that 'S' factor'.
It is highly unlikely that the Government will grant lifetime free medical care to men doing national service (NS). However, there is another way to make NSmen feel less disadvantaged and less peeved about foreigners and women who do not have to do NS.
During the two years they serve the country, the allowance paid to full-time national servicemen is far below the wages they could earn elsewhere.
Besides this, the time sacrificed and the dangers involved during full-time NS, as well as the subsequent years of reservist training, are surely worth more than what they are currently paid.
Rather than pay them more, why not give each NSman an additional grant equivalent to $10,000 a year, up to a maximum of $40,000, which can be used to fund his studies at any institute of higher learning in Singapore.
For those who are not academically inclined, the money can be used as seed money for them to start their own businesses.
The money can be drawn down over 10 years after NS, but not beyond, and cannot be used if the NSman is employed by others. However, once he starts a business or embarks on a course of study, he can have access to the grant.
This move may turn out to be a win-win situation for all. First, the NSman will feel gratified, which may increase his loyalty to the country. Second, the male population of the country will be better trained as they will have access to higher education, thus making Singapore more competitive in the global workforce. Third, as NSmen bond with one another, ideas may germinate among them for shared business ventures in the future if seed money is available on passing out.
With such a move, NS may become a fertile breeding ground for the entrepreneurs the country badly needs. Not all will be successful, but it will be good if even one in 10 succeeds at a business that provides employment for others.
This money is not a large sum as a working mother earning about $5,000 a month already gets four months of paid maternity leave, or $20,000 per child. On top of this, there is the Baby Bonus.
Dr Anne Chong
