He said the main reasons cited were health issues and offers to pursue higher education.

“So far, each series of PLKN 3.0 has recorded an absentee rate of about 10% to 15%, mostly due to valid reasons such as illness or having just been offered a university placement,” he told reporters after attending the opening ceremony of the Kembara Lestari Kota Tinggi with Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah at Felda Lok Heng Barat here today.

Khaled said PLKN 3.0 was still in the trial phase, with full implementation expected to begin next year.

The 45-day programme has received positive feedback from participants, particularly on the military training elements which are deemed effective in instilling discipline and building identity.

“Participants from the previous two series gave good feedback and requested that the military training content be improved,” Khaled said.