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Shorten training periods for NSmen: Yahoo Answers users on national service system

Cut the length and frequency of in-camp and remedial training required for national servicemen (NSmen).

This was the most common suggestion of Yahoo Answers users when asked for their views on whether employers in Singapore discriminated against those with NS commitments and what could possibly be done to counter that.
 
"I feel that the duration of a two-week high-key ICT (in-camp training) can be further reduced to say, seven or eight days," wrote a user going by the moniker Wilson, who said that a lot of time in training is actually wasted waiting around.

Exercise objectives could be met by conducting the training more efficiently, plus it would boost the morale and NSmen and reduce the amount of taxpayers’ money used for ICT, he pointed out.
 
The discussion on perceived workplace discrimination arose from a recently-released survey by the Institute of Policy Studies on the attitudes towards NS, which found that some 42.1 per cent of employed NSmen believed employers prefer to hire staff with no NS commitments.

On IPPT and remedial training
 
Wilson, alongside other respondents, also voiced concern over the length and duration of reservist training (RT), which is needed if the NSmen fail their annual Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT).
 
"(The IPPT/RT system) is a waste of time and will get us fired," wrote user Derrick T. "What's the point of having so much in-camp training? All we need is to refresh our skills and not to be labourers."
 
Wilson noted that weekday RT sessions could be timed later so that NSmen going for remedial training do not need to seek permission to leave the office early.
 
"RT should not be viewed as a measure to penalise NSmen who fail their IPPT… (it) should (instead) help NSmen lead a more healthy lifestyle for the sake of their family and country," he wrote. "No NSman in his right mind would purposely want to fail IPPT, (and) sometimes we don't know what the other fellow is going through that results in his failure to pass."
 
User J, who said he is an employer as well, said he hopes to see the entire reservist system, coupled with its annual IPPTs, scrapped.
 
"If not, make the reservist period two years, with a maximum five-day commitment per year," he said, admitting that he himself avoids hiring people with NS liabilities unless there are others in the same department who can cover their duties.
 
"If the person has a specialised job scope, I will try to get someone else, and if the person is in a single-man department, it will pose problems," he wrote candidly, noting that jobs that involve frequent travel are also more troublesome for NS-liable staff, who need to declare each trip they make. "Males should not lose out in the job market because of NS."
 
Some also called for a reduction in the full-time NS period, while others said first-generation new citizens and PRs of suitable age and fitness should serve as well to ease the burden on Singaporean males.
 
"As a mother of an NSman-to-be, I strongly feel that NS has become a liability to our boys," wrote a user called LeeLee. "We should reduce the two years to one to one and a half years… since the government always advocates that there is no sacred cow, this period should be reviewed."
 
Can employers work around NS commitments?
 
Companies in Singapore can work around NS commitments but would prefer to avoid having to in the first place, believed many of the Yahoo Answers users.
 
User Leonard shared that many small companies try to avoid hiring NSmen, and when they need to hire them to fill their Singaporean worker quota, the ones they do pick either are exempt from taking their IPPT, and in some cases, from ICT as well.
 
"(In my wife's company), her boss did have people who went for ICT and caused major problems for the company, so after a year's contract, the company did not renew (it) for him," he wrote. "I guess this could be going on elsewhere too (and it makes me) kind of sad."
 
To user Whyte, discrimination practiced against NSmen is similar to that faced by pregnant women.
 
"The bottom line is that if you can be away from your job for two weeks to a month, it simply means you're redundant and can be dismissed," he wrote. "If you can't be away and have to because of NS obligations, the company will have no choice but to have someone else cover your duties.”
 
User Aks believes that ensuring that given NSmen’s sacrifice, they should be given first priority for jobs and further studies. "Giving out $80 worth of vouchers will not make the problems disappear,” he said.
 
For user Nothingtodo, compulsory NS duties for locals should be balanced with checks on foreign employment.
 
"The government should come up with a rule and penalty for non-NS serving employees (foreigners who are here purely for economic gains)," he wrote. "Tax levy for any non-NS-serving employee, payable by all employers, women and (non-NS-liable) alike… when you put check valves on easier routes, the water will ultimately arrive at the same location from every point."
 
Companies that are supportive of Nsmen and their commitments should also be lauded, say users Lim Annie and Jiwon.
 
"Give cash bonuses to companies that have high percentages of NSmen employed," wrote Lim Annie. "NS men should be well-taken can of by our Singapore government. NSmen are protectors to our nation."
 
Added Jiwon, "I really hope the government can promote companies that fully support reservist and really help NS men to attend our reservist and RT without us having to worry about work."

Yahoo Singapore has reached out to the Ministry of Defence for comment on the issue.

Read the Yahoo Answers question and the discussion here.

Got an opinion on this to share? Write to us with your view to reachus@yahoo-inc.com. Please remember to include your name, age and occupation if you would like your letter to be published.