Computer games for NS: Ongkili
Friday, 4 June 2004 (Source: The Star)

KUALA LUMPUR: Interactive computer games have been proposed to bring fun into the classrooms of national service trainees.

In the course of the games, the trainees would get to learn the characteristics of the various races, the nation’s history and topics on citizenship.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said IT-based activities would add fun to the learning of serious issues such as national integration in the new nation-building module to be known as E-community.

“Some trainees have said the classroom-structured modules can be boring and one of the ways to overcome it is by introducing more games and interactive activities.

“Many teenagers nowadays are IT-savvy and computer games may engage their interest.

“When they ‘visit’ an E-community, be it a Kadazandusun village or a traditional Malay kampung, the trainees will be tested on their knowledge about the characteristics of the community, have a chat with the virtual village head and so on,” he said in an interview.

Dr Ongkili, a former NS Council member heading the inspectorate committee, is now in the Cabinet Committee on NS.

He was appointed minister to oversee the national unity and integration portfolios in April.

Dr Ongkili said Mimos was sponsoring E-community while local IT entrepreneurs were charged with developing the content.

“The project is under construction but I will propose to the Cabinet that the games be tailored for the NS module.

“Learning the characteristics of the ethnic groups is a way to create understanding among youngsters along the lines of kenal maka cinta (you have to know a person to love the person),” he added.

Under the three-month NS training stint, trainees go through four modules – physical training, nation-building, character-building and community service.

It has been discovered that most trainees preferred outdoor-based physical training and community service modules.

Dr Ongkili said more could be done to speed up national integration through NS, such as expanding the coverage of community service and increasing the number of “state-exchange” trainees.

He said that under the inaugural programme involving some 80,000 trainees, only 473 Sarawakians and 452 Sabahans were flown to the peninsula to undergo training, while 1,174 trainees from the peninsula went over to the two states.

“In future, I hope to see at least 10% of trainees being exchanged between East and West Malaysia to enhance integration.''