We can boost Singapore's birth rate by making it compulsory for women to serve national service alongside men (More babies? Yes, please, March 14).

Women will interact with men during national service, enabling relationships to be forged.

This approach has been proven effective by Israel, which has about 20 births per 1,000 people for a population of around nine million, disproportionately more than Singapore, which has 8.5 births per 1,000 people for a population of 5.69 million.

Hence, it is imperative for women to serve the country, not only to increase the size of our defence force, but also to encourage marriages to boost Singapore's birth rate.

Wang Lixin, 16

Secondary 4 student