We have been advising other countries to find out the root cause of their problems (for example on terrorism and the Palestinian issue) but we seem to be looking everywhere except where it matters most.

Do people sincerely think that young people at age 18 can be easily be 'turned over' after a three-month course and become disciplined and patriotic with good moral/religious values? A more important question is whether the impact (if any) is short-lived or long-term.

After spending RM500 million, taxpayers are expecting long-term results with the majority benefitting and not just a small group of persons. To get the real picture, an independent body should be established to evaluate the outcome of the National Service programme.

It is obvious to all that the NS was not well-planned and is one rushed job. How else do you explain the outbreaks of problems?

Generally, nobody in their right mind would be against the NS. It is the way in which it is being done that worries the parents. I don't understand why the NS modules can't be integrated into the school system starting with kindergarten, primary school right up to university level.

At the lower level, certain basic components can be integrated and as children mature, more relevant component can be applied. Like they say, 'Catch 'em when they are young'.

But using the military or police to enforce discipline in the NS will only create a bunch of more angry teenagers. Yes, they will abide since they have no choice. They will be little pussycats for three months but after that do you think they will be remain your sweet, goody-woody two shoes boys and girls next door?

I can bet my last dollar all these little pussycats will regain their leopard spots before you can say phingo! We need to interact more with the kids to get their respect. We need to hear what they have to say and not just dish out regulation after regulation. Kids nowadays are more inquisitive and exposed. You can't expect all of them to be robots.

Like it or not, collectively all of us are in some way responsible for the problems we are facing now. Those born in the 50s and earlier did not have all these so-called racial, unity and patriotism problems.

We have to ask ourselves what is it we did that things turned out this way. The answer is in our hearts. One need not look elsewhere for the answer.

In my days, parents did not spoil their children and didn't hesitate to discipline them when they were in the wrong. Teachers were very committed and they would ensure that the parents were aware each time the child failed to do homework or fared badly in examinations.

Truancy was out of the question as parents would be aware of it. The headmaster would do his daily rounds passing all the classes to ensure everything was in order. God help any kid who tried to be funny or any teacher who did not seem to be doing their work.

The headmaster also randomly checked the exercise books of students to ensure the teacher was up-to-date with their work. With all this in place, how could there be indiscipline with everyone playing their role?

Unfortunately, school bullies nowadays seem to be getting away with things. My son was hit on the head with a piece of wood by another kid when he was in primary school. He had a big swelling and I went to see the headmaster whom I was not allowed to see. I was treated as a troublemaker.

When I asked the senior assistant what they were going to do about it, he just lost his temper. He asked what could I expect from them as the parents of the bully were non-responsive. Obviously, I was very disappointed and left a letter expressing my dissatisfaction as my son had a good record and never provoked anybody in school. He had no complaints from any teacher at all.

Guess what happened in the end? All the teachers ignored my son. I got so fed up and contemplated transferring him to another school. But after thinking over things I changed my mind deciding that he may face even more problems in the new school if there were vindictive people there.

This is not the only incident. In fact, after a few incidents, you learn to accept it as a way of life - complaining only makes life more miserable. Maintaining an image seems to be more important than maintaining discipline.

Once, my son submitted a medical chit for his absence as well as a letter from us, but his teacher said it was all unnecessary. Can you imagine what kind of signal is sent to those who want to play truant? Isn't that encouraging truancy?

The police have their hands full with the current crime rate going up with murders, robbery, rape and whatnot. It is unfair to burden them with monitoring the kids. It is the parents and the schools who have to really buck up.

Merely complaining and blaming the kids is not going to solve our problems. After all, they are kids in the first place. It is how you bring them up and how they are disciplined and taught in school that moulds their character.

Disciplining them with official, excess force will only harden them into hardcore problem kids. Frankly speaking, parents who do not discipline their children when they are young will not be able to handle them when they're 18.

And we think that strangers with some vested powers can convert them for the long term in just three months?

From my experience, kids nowadays response more positively if you use the passive approach rather than an aggressive manner. Using compulsion is a simplistic short-term solution to a long-term problem, just as the Americans prefer the hard rather than soft approach. Does it solve anything at all?

I wonder whether kids, child psychologists, academicians and parents are consulted when NS programmes are formulated since their feedback and expertise will be quite useful.

My suggestion is to integrate the NS with the school curriculum. Maybe employ more teachers to assist as student counselors. Increase the salary of the current batch of teachers handling this area and if necessary, send them for specialised training.

The education department should go to the ground from time to time and ensure that every school is doing a good job. There has to be consistent monitoring to ensure success.

We may or may not spend RM500 million if NS is integrated with the school curriculum. Even if this budget is exceeded, it should be allowed as I am also quite positive that the impact and effectiveness of the NS will then be for the long term. On top of that, this move will benefit all students and not just a select group.