Education and defence portfolios ‘have synergy’
Senior Minister of State for Defence Mr Ong Ye Kung visits the Singapore Armed Forces Basic Military Training Centre on Oct 13. During his visit, MOS interact with servicemen and also witness recruits undergoing physical training and weapons handling. Photo: Ernest Chua
SINGAPORE — There will be synergy between both his portfolios in the defence and education ministries, given how many young men move on to National Service (NS) after their education or further their studies after NS, said Senior Minister of State for Defence Ong Ye Kung today (Oct 13).
Mr Ong, who is also Acting Education Minister (Higher Education and Skills), was speaking to the media on the sidelines of a visit to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Basic Military Training Centre (BMTC) in Pulau Tekong — his first official visit under the Defence portfolio.
He said: “I cover education as well as defence, and in a way, there is a continuum in many boys’ lives.”
He added: “There’s a lot of synergies, a lot of connection between the two, and I’m glad I have this chance to look through and see through a young person’s life.”
Noting that it has been 30 years since his last trip to Tekong — Mr Ong enlisted in 1988 — he also pointed out some of the changes he had observed in the training of full-time National Servicemen, such as how BMTC now makes use of technology for them to learn on their own. This includes the use of tablets to learn about hand-grenades, and the stripping and assembling of weapons.
But what remained the same, he added, was how NS brought together young men from different backgrounds. Ultimately, National Service remains the cornerstone of our defence, said Mr Ong.
During the visit, he visited the recruits — enlisted just a week ago — who were going through their circuit and weapons-handling training sessions.
