Singapore sends Army recruits home to do online BMT due to Corona
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/basic-military-training-suspended-recruits-do-physical-training-and-online-learning-at
SINGAPORE - Basic military training (BMT) might have been suspended for more than two weeks now, but Recruit Emir Ilyas Elham is not taking this period to relax.
In fact, the 18-year-old full-time national serviceman aims to lose another 4kg to 5kg by the end of his 19-week BMT, on top of the 10kg he has already shed since he enlisted into the Singapore Armed Forces in late-January.
Enlistees whose body mass index, or BMI, is more than 27 are considered obese and must undergo a longer BMT, as compared to nine weeks for non-obese, combat-fit recruits.
Recruit Emir is now aiming to get a "gold" award for his Individual Physical Proficiency Test - which consists of doing push-ups, sit-ups and a 2.4km run - up from his current "silver" standard.
To achieve his goals, Recruit Emir, who had a BMI of just under 30 when he enlisted, has been on a regimen of exercising twice a day and maintaining a healthy diet during this period of BMT suspension at home.
He must also complete a minimum of 200 minutes of self-directed learning every day through online training content provided by the Basic Military Training Centre, such as watching videos on weapon handling and first aid.
He is among 3,400 recruits who have switched to home-based learning since basic military training was suspended from April 7 - the same day Singapore's circuit breaker period to minimise the spread of the coronavirus kicked in.
The recruits have to submit quizzes, do weekly reflections, as well as take part in discussion forums, where they can raise questions on topics they were unclear about.
Participation and completion of the syllabus is monitored by their commanders, both at the Basic Military Training Centre school level, and at the centre's headquarters.
