National Service- How can this be amended or improved further to alleviate the problem of dodging?

National Service is a compulsory service that all able bodied men has to go through at the age of 18. The true purpose of National Service back when it was started was simply to arm Singapore with an army to defend against its neighboring countries. However, the main purpose now is to instill a sense of loyalty to Singaporeans and make Singaporeans feel a sense of belonging to their home country, Singapore. Thus, it is this flawed reason that is somewhat contributing to Singaporeans to be more inclined to dodge National Service. They see no need for Singapore to have such a large army and furthermore, most of them would like to further their studies overseas.

Thus, I have a few suggestions and solutions to alleviate this problem of dodging. Firstly, The government and Singaporeans who wish to skip NS to further their studies overseas can come to a compromise. The government can allow the Singaporean to go overseas; however, there should be a statement that states that he has to return to Singapore to complete his NS. Thus, this is a win-win situation as both parties stand to win. The Singaporeans is happy as he gets to further his studies, at the same time, the government is also satisfied as this man will complete his duty to the country after he finishes his higher education and comes back.

Secondly, the government can try to work with the people in the army to improve the way of things and life in the army. This is because part of the reason why people skip NS is because they find NS useless and they just see NS as a place to torture them and drill them with countless of activities. Thus, the army can try to improve upon its training style and try to lighten the physical exercises. They can also try to include more meaningful stuff and less taxing activities such as war simulation or more trips to other neighboring countries to learn their fighting style and tactics. Furthermore, the army should try to explain to the college students in more detail about NS and clear any misunderstandings. This will prevent any dodging due to misconception or fear of NS. Thus, the government should work with the army to improve upon the army activities and try to explain the true benefits and meaning of NS to the teenagers before they serve their 2 years. There will thus be more understanding and more receptive towards NS, decreasing the chances of them trying to dodge NS.

Finally, the government can also resort to harsh methods to prevent people from skipping NS. One such solution would be extending their VISAS for only 2 years after they reach the age of 17. The government can then make a policy that the VISA can only be renewed in Singapore and if it is not renewed, that individual would not be counted as a Singaporean and will forever be barred from entering Singapore. Thus, this harsh move will alleviate the problem as it threatens the youths and prevent them from trying to escape to other countries for the fear that they will lose their Singapore citizenship. Thus, this suggestion can be implemented as a last resort if the government finds that this problem is getting out of hand.

In conclusion, there are many solutions as to alleviate the problem of dodging of NS. However, the government should always try the “soft” approach and try to reason with the youths before they are forced to use the harsh method.