Since the Government started the National Service Programme in 2003, selected youths all across the country has been concentrated at a number of camps for a period of 3 months. They have to go through a number of modules that targeted development in specific areas including physical fitness, nation building, character building, community service and others. Last year, the Ministry of Health, together with the PM's Office devised another module to be incorporated into the programme... the HIV/AIDS Module for PLKN... and this is where I come into the picture.
The Module is supposed to be run at district level, but since one of the district were not prepared to run it in given time, I volunteered to sit in and see for myself one of these places, dreaded by SPM school leavers all over the country.
I suppose as a security reason, and also probably to avoid conscripts (or Wira & Wirawati as they're addressed in the Camps) from escaping, the camps are usually located in the remotest of places, and for this particular Camp I visited was about 8 km away from the main road passing through jungles and rivers.
As we reached the place, the car can go only as far as the river bank on the other side of the camp, and to go to the other side, we had to use a wobbly suspension bridge, and most definitely not the romantic type portrayed by the song Jambatan Tamparuli.
The Module is supposed to be run at district level, but since one of the district were not prepared to run it in given time, I volunteered to sit in and see for myself one of these places, dreaded by SPM school leavers all over the country.
I suppose as a security reason, and also probably to avoid conscripts (or Wira & Wirawati as they're addressed in the Camps) from escaping, the camps are usually located in the remotest of places, and for this particular Camp I visited was about 8 km away from the main road passing through jungles and rivers.
As we reached the place, the car can go only as far as the river bank on the other side of the camp, and to go to the other side, we had to use a wobbly suspension bridge, and most definitely not the romantic type portrayed by the song Jambatan Tamparuli.
Posing for a good shot was quite a feat, as the bridge keeps on swinging, even if you try very hard to stay still.
And the greeting on the wall is the first thing we noticed once we entered the camp compound.
Thinking as an adult who did not have to go through this myself, I thought that the programme is actually fun, though I wouldn't like the idea of being confined away for 3 months of my life. The closest thing I had as a youngster tho this was a 4D3N Science Camp in Kundasang.
