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PLKN funds better off spent forging unity among pupils, says Shahril

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The ex-Umno leader says it is better to promote unity among primary schoolchildren than wait for them to turn 18 and go for the national service programme.

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Free Malaysia Today
Former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan suggested that Putrajaya use the funds on a programme like the student integration plan for unity, also known as Rimup.

PETALING JAYA:
Former Umno information chief Shahril Hamdan disagrees with the government’s plan to revive the national service training programme (PLKN) next year with an allocation of RM50 million in the 2025 budget.

If the goal of PLKN’s reintroduction was to foster unity among Malaysian youths, Shahril said Putrajaya would be better off spending the RM50 million on initiatives aimed at forging unity among primary school students.

“Integrate children in schools. If possible, formulate a programme like the student integration plan for unity (Rimup). That’s better for unity rather than waiting until they’re 18 years old to meet in PLKN,” he said in the latest episode of the Keluar Sekejap podcast.

His co-host, former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, said the RM50 million allocated for PLKN would likely cause murmurings among Malaysians.

While it was just 10% of the RM500 million allocated to the programme in the past, the former Umno Youth chief said some people would say it’s just a start and that the figure would rise further in the coming years.

PLKN had been criticised by various quarters in the past and was abolished by the former Pakatan Harapan government in 2018. A revamped iteration of the programme is set to commence in June next year.

Separately, Khairy said the record RM64.1 billion allocated to the education ministry seemed to mostly involve physical initiatives, such as upgrades and maintenance of education facilities.

While these were important, he said the 2025 budget lacked imagination and initiatives aimed at improving the education system’s pedagogy.

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