Sungai miang: The intake for the National Service Training Programme (PLKN) is set to expand significantly, with plans to accommodate approximately 25,000 trainees each year through the opening of 13 training camps nationwide.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Colonel Mazlizan Shaikh Osman, the director of the National Service Training Department (JLKN) for Trainee and Operations, announced that the first intake of 2026 will offer 750 slots. These will be divided between 500 male trainees at the 505 Territorial Army Camp in Sungai Miang and 250 female trainees at the 515 Territorial Army Camp in Kuala Lumpur.

Currently, the program involves only these two camps, but plans are underway to open 11 more, each designed to accommodate between 300 and 700 trainees per session. All 13 camps are projected to be fully operational by the end of 2027, providing the capacity to train 25,000 individuals across four annual sessions.

Mazlizan mentioned that this year, the second session of the PLKN programme, scheduled from April 28 to June 8, will continue using only the two existing camps. The third session, from July 11 to August 24, will introduce two additional camps located in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan, and Bukit Keteri, Perlis. Another camp is planned to open in Kluang, Johor, for the fourth session from October 3 to November 16.

Meanwhile, trainee Ivan Choong, 18, from Perlis, shared his feelings about joining the program. He is excited to meet new friends from different backgrounds but is also saddened by missing Chinese New Year with his family for the first time. Similarly, Khor Jia Onn, 18, from Cameron Highlands, acknowledged the opportunity the program presents, despite the timing of family celebrations.

Ahmad Darwis Haiqal Yuslizar, 18, sees the program as a chance to gain new skills, particularly in basic military training, such as shooting, while also improving his personal discipline.