The National Service Training Programme (PLKN) 3.0 will begin in Sarawak in July 2028, with 90% of the 300 places in its first intake reserved for youths from Sarawak and Sabah.
Defence Minister Khaled Nordin said the programme’s first Sarawak-based session, Series 3/2028, is scheduled to run from July to August 2028.
In a written parliamentary reply to Ahmad Johnie Zawawi (GPS-Igan), Khaled said preparations were underway, including securing approval to use the required land.
Of the 300 places available, 60% will be allocated to participants from Sarawak, 30% to those from Sabah and the remaining 10% to youths from Kuala Lumpur.
He said the allocation was intended to increase participation from East Malaysia while strengthening national unity.
Although the first PLKN 3.0 session in Sarawak is not scheduled until 2028, youths from the state have already been participating in the programme since Series 1/2025.
A total of 94 Sarawakian trainees took part in seven PLKN 3.0 sessions across 2025 and 2026, comprising three sessions last year and four this year.
The ministry said trainees were selected through random balloting and voluntary applications.
However, it acknowledged that these two recruitment methods alone could not guarantee the participation of youths from rural and interior areas.
To address this, the National Service Training Department, through the National Service Training Council, decided that its Sarawak representative would identify and nominate candidates from rural and interior communities for consideration.
The ministry said the arrangement would be implemented once the council’s Sarawak representative had been appointed.
