Give further boost to IPPT incentives

Give further boost to IPPT incentives

The Committee to Strengthen National Service has come up with several measures to benefit national servicemen (“Major steps to enhance and reinforce national service”; last Friday).

However, the committee could have been bolder in improving the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) incentives.

The monetary incentives have remained unchanged for many years and their real values have decreased significantly due to inflation. The proposed $100 increase does not even make up for the loss in value over the years.

The fact that the committee has recommended up to $6,000 more in Central Provident Fund top-ups shows that it is sparing no effort and money to recognise the contributions of national servicemen.

I hope the current IPPT incentives can be significantly enhanced. The pass (with incentive) category can even be removed altogether, with a monetary incentive for anyone who manages a pass.

Better financial incentives can motivate more people to pass the IPPT, which will translate into lower costs needed to run the remedial training and IPPT preparatory training programmes.

Martin Lee (Lieutenant-Colonel – NS)


This article was first published on May 27, 2014.
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