<TABLE border=0 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR>Sep 14, 2009
NATIONAL SERVICE
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Son back from US hit by 'capacity constraint'
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MY SON was nine years old when he left Singapore for the United States. He returned to Singapore in June this year to fulfil his military obligation.
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has notified us that he is officially slated for enlistment in February next year.
This means a long wait and consequently, he will miss the start of his college in the US in September 2011.
We wrote to Mindef last year, and the latest reply is that there is a 'capacity constraint' in this year's September- October intake.
This raises some questions:
While we understand the need for Mindef to have stringent regulations to ensure that Singaporean males return to Singapore shortly after graduating from high school, why has it not ensured that a vacancy is made available for them to start their national service promptly without impacting their college education any more than it needs to?
If it is a question of equity to ensure that none gets a head start in tertiary education, our son will not compete with Singaporean males for university places or employment, but with his US cohort. Moreover, if he enlists in February next year, he will be three years behind his peers in the US if he starts his undergraduate studies in September 2012.
Are there no contingency plans for 'capacity constraint' besides waiting for a vacancy to be created when an enlistee 'drops out' of his scheduled intake? Mindef must surely be aware of the number of enlistees returning from overseas for NS.
We do not take issue with the idea of conscription. In fact, we have encouraged our son to adopt a positive attitude towards it and we can say that, for someone who has essentially grown up in the US, he is prepared to do his best.
In a globalised world where we need to compete for the hearts and minds of all our people living in Singapore as well as abroad, such inflexibility and apparent disregard for the welfare of enlistees will only put off those who really want to serve and contribute.
This will ultimately exact a high price from the growing number of overseas Singaporeans who sincerely want their offspring to remain connected with Singapore.
Michael Lee
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NATIONAL SERVICE
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Son back from US hit by 'capacity constraint'
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->MY SON was nine years old when he left Singapore for the United States. He returned to Singapore in June this year to fulfil his military obligation.
The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) has notified us that he is officially slated for enlistment in February next year.
This means a long wait and consequently, he will miss the start of his college in the US in September 2011.
We wrote to Mindef last year, and the latest reply is that there is a 'capacity constraint' in this year's September- October intake.
This raises some questions:
While we understand the need for Mindef to have stringent regulations to ensure that Singaporean males return to Singapore shortly after graduating from high school, why has it not ensured that a vacancy is made available for them to start their national service promptly without impacting their college education any more than it needs to?
If it is a question of equity to ensure that none gets a head start in tertiary education, our son will not compete with Singaporean males for university places or employment, but with his US cohort. Moreover, if he enlists in February next year, he will be three years behind his peers in the US if he starts his undergraduate studies in September 2012.
Are there no contingency plans for 'capacity constraint' besides waiting for a vacancy to be created when an enlistee 'drops out' of his scheduled intake? Mindef must surely be aware of the number of enlistees returning from overseas for NS.
We do not take issue with the idea of conscription. In fact, we have encouraged our son to adopt a positive attitude towards it and we can say that, for someone who has essentially grown up in the US, he is prepared to do his best.
In a globalised world where we need to compete for the hearts and minds of all our people living in Singapore as well as abroad, such inflexibility and apparent disregard for the welfare of enlistees will only put off those who really want to serve and contribute.
This will ultimately exact a high price from the growing number of overseas Singaporeans who sincerely want their offspring to remain connected with Singapore.
Michael Lee
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