National Service (NS) is the national policy in Singapore mandated by statutory law that requires all male Singaporean citizens and second-generation permanent residents to serve a period of compulsory service in the uniformed services.

Starting National Service can sometimes be a daunting prospect for many students and their families. GIIS is keen to support families whose children have an NS commitment. On January 30, GIIS held the National Service Familiarization webinar to educate students about the NS programme. 

GIIS is working with the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) to help communicate NS programme details to students. MINDEF has made a concerted effort in the past years to reach out to NS-liable boys to address their concerns and prepare them for this commitment. This interactive session was aimed to familiarize and better educate parents and the probable enlistees on the NS training regime, requirements and other related aspects. 

The event commenced with a welcome address by the principal, Ms Melissa Maria, followed by a presentation by the Assistant Director of the NS policy department, Mr David Ooi covering the application process and share an overview of the NS journey. The webinar then moseyed into testimonials of GIIS alumni’s who selected different sectors of the programme during their tenure in NS. This was followed by a presentation by two parents who shared about their experiences of supporting their sons through this journey. The event concluded with an informative question and answer session that addressed the queries of the audience.