SINGAPORE — Greater awareness and better communication about National Service (NS) so males would be better prepared when they enlist. Better matching of skill sets to vocations. Shorter but more efficient NS service periods.

These were some suggestions that were raised yesterday evening during a women-only focus group discussion on strengthening NS.

Some participants at the event, organised by the People’s Association (PA) Women’s Integration Network Council, went a step further, suggesting women could play a more active part in Singapore’s defence by volunteering in the army, albeit for shorter durations and in non-combat positions.

Sales manager Estelle Lek was one of those who thought NS would be a positive rite of passage for her 13-year-old daughter. “Perhaps their officers can decide if they are capable of doing physical training, and those who are not, they can be assigned to do more supportive roles, such as nursing, logistics, cooking and administration,” said the 36-year-old, who added that the length of service could be half the current two years for males.

Minister of State (Health and Manpower) Amy Khor — who chaired the discussion in her capacity as a member of the Defence Ministry’s Committee to Strengthen National Service — pointed to a scheme in place where women can volunteer in the army as nurses. The scheme could be “beefed up” so it is “better organised”, to create greater awareness of its existence so more women, and even younger boys, can volunteer, she said.

When asked if there could be compulsory NS for women, Dr Khor said the notion “should not be dismissed”.

She said: “It is something that we can think about, but it needs careful and thorough deliberation, and cannot be taken lightly. I would say that as a start, if women were willing to volunteer for some kind of service in the military, that is something we could consider, if it’s non-combat and for shorter durations. Over the longer term, if total fertility rate doesn’t improve significantly and the number of qualified enlistees shrinks, for instance, perhaps ... women could be welcome to enlist.” Woo Sian Boon