200 participants have stepped up to join the National Service, the biggest figure recorded compared to previous intake

Bandar Seri Begawan - The third and final series of the National Service Pilot Project has drawn participation from some 200 individuals, the biggest figure recorded compared to its previous intake of just 100 persons.

This was revealed by Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Hamid bin Hj Mohd Jaafar, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports during a dialogue session with the local media on the third National Service Pilot Project yesterday.

With the success of first and second pilot projects, Dato Paduka Haji Mohd Hamid said, "Parents are encouraging their children to participate in the National Service Pilot Project. Participation has increased tremendously and we now have over 400 applications to screen through. A total of 325 were qualified to join. However, due to the constraint of facilities, only 200 were selected for the third pilot project. Of the number 130 are male trainees and 70 are female trainees.

"The remaining 125 qualified participants who are unable to join this time, will be automatically selected into the National Service Programme when available."

The third and final series will begin on December 10 and conclude on March 11, 2013. Registration for participation will be on December 9 while the launching ceremony will be held on December 12.

With the increase in participation, he revealed that as many as 78 officers, trainers and supervisors (53 males and 25 female) have been listed to provide assistance in management and monitoring of the trainees. The number of trainers may still increase with the participation of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

To accommodate the increase, the Permanent Secretary said, "The three blocks can currently accommodate 300 people, but since we need space for classrooms and syndicate rooms, we had to increase the capacity of two persons in one room to three so that we can accommodate the participants and teaching staff.

"We are trying hard to accommodate the applicants and are increasing to the maximum capacity. Temporary facilities for dining hall, administration offices and additional fences are being built and CCTVs installed."

The purpose of the pilot project, he highlighted is to establish the right modules and assess the effectiveness of the programme. "This is to ensure that when the real programme is established, we can offer the best for the trainees."

For the modules, Hajah Norlah binti Hj Yakoob, Director of Youth and Sports Development said, "The curriculum will be adjusted and divided into groups to accommodate the increase in participants."

Major (Rtd) Mohammad bin Dollah, Commandant of the National Service Pilot Project has also revealed that 100 former trainees have come forward to provide assistance.

A full-fledged Brunei Darussalam National Service will be launched by the end of 2013.

--Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin