NSF allowance for NSFs and NSmen raised by $70-$120: Heng Chee How
SINGAPORE — The monthly National Service allowance for full-time national servicemen and NSmen in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Home Team has been increased by between $70 and $120 across all ranks from Sunday (1 March).
This was announced by Senior Minister of State for Defence Heng Chee How at the Committee of Supply debate for the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) in Parliament on Monday.
The increase was part of a slew of initiatives to enhance the national service experience, including a full subsidy of E-PREP courses and more E-PREP courses, with two new institutions coming on board.
The NS allowance increment across all ranks includes increments in both the Rank Allowance and the Vocational Allowance components.
In recognition of the different vocational demands performed by national servicemen, all national servicemen will receive a vocation allowance of at least $50, as part of the revised NS allowance.
National servicemen in selected vocations who currently receive combat or operational allowance, will receive up to $100 more for their vocation allowance.
With the revision, an NSF holding the rank of recruit or trainee will receive a monthly NS allowance of $630, up from the $560 he currently receives. An SAF NSF naval diver or Singapore Police Force NSF Police Tactical Trooper or Singapore Civil Defence Force NSF firefighter holding the rank of Corporal will receive a monthly NS allowance of $1,050, up from $930 currently.
Full subsidy for E-PREP courses
Under the SkillsFuture@NS initiative introduced last year, NSFs can use E-PREP credits worth $350 to take about 3,000 courses, including those offered by Institutes of Higher Learning to help them in their admission.
From this year, E-PREP courses will be fully subsidised, an increase from the current subsidy of 90 per cent for course fees. Two new institutions - the National University of Singapore and Institute of Technical Education - will also be coming on board to offer E-PREP courses, bringing the total number of E-PREP partners to nine.
From 1 April this year, NSFs across the SAF and the Home Team will have access to some 4,000 E-PREP courses, with up to 100 of these credit-bearing, up from 26 today.
Enhancements will also be extended to pre-enlistees to help them better prepare mentally and physically for the NSF experience, said Heng.
Mindef is collaborating with SAFRA in an ongoing trial to make gym facilities more accessible through the Pre-Enlistees Exercise Programme for National Service (PREP4NS). Under the programme, pre-enlistees can sign up for a one-year complimentary membership to six SAFRA gyms located across Singapore.
About 6,000 have signed up for the membership since its launch last November, said Heng. The ministry was also working with SportSG to extend the membership to the 24 ActiveSG gyms. Heng said more details of the scheme will be provided at a later stage.
To better support pre-enlistees who are new citizens and Permanent Residents, the ministry has partnered with the Advisory Council on Community Relations in Defence to appoint dedicated NS Coordinators in Foreign System Schools and Privately Funded Institutions to assist them with their questions on NS.
Stay in the know on-the-go: Join Yahoo Singapore's Telegram channel at http://t.me/YahooSingapore
More Parliament stories:
Singapore's Total Defence key to fight against COVID-19 outbreak: Maliki Osman
COVID-19: China understood why Singapore had to impose travel curbs - Vivian Balakrishnan
MHA to raise retirement age for uniformed officers to 58: Shanmugam
Home Team officers working 'round the clock' in COVID-19 fight: Shanmugam
Singapore to set up inter-ministry committee on online scams
Progress made on developing SAF's training areas in Australia and Guam: Ng Eng Hen
Singapore in 'final stages' of buying 4 F-35 fighter jets: Ng Eng Hen
Restructured SAF to tackle terrorism, cyber and maritime threats: Ng Eng Hen
