THE National Service Scheme (NSS) has resolved not to accept any assurance letters from organisations given to prospective service persons to be posted to such organisations.
Furthermore, any prospective service person, who would present such letters of assurance, would be severely sanctioned.
This is because it is only the NSS which determines the placements of servicemen.
The Executive Director of the NSS, Mr Vincent Kuagbenu made this known at the national launch of the National Service Week at Koforidua.
The event on the theme: “National Service in the Drive Towards Better Ghana” brought together a large number of service persons from all parts of the region, including the regional directors.
The function was attended by dignitaries, including the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, his Deputy, Mr Baba Jamal Mohammed Ahmed and the Omanhene of Akyem Bosome Traditional Area, Okotwaasuo Kantamanto Owurae Agyekum 111, who chaired the occasion.
According to Mr Kuagbenu, it had been the habit of prospective service persons to present letters of assurance from organisations of their choice mostly in the cities and urban centres to be posted there for their comfort.
He stated that such a practice was against the aims and objectives of the NSS which had to post service persons primarily to the hinterland to assist in the development of the deprived communities.
Mr Kuagbenu warned that, henceforth, any prospective service person who would approach the secretariat with letters of assurance would not only be turned away, but also severely dealt with.
He said the NSS, which was finding solutions to its challenges, was embarking on a number of income-generation activities such as crop and fish farming in various parts of the country where service persons would be solely engaged.
Mr Kuagbenu stated that such ventures were in line with the “Better Ghana Agenda.”
He added that the NSS have also broken new grounds by posting some of its personnel to be research assistants to Members of Parliament (MPs).
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, said since the NSS among others, was to imbibe into the service persons the culture of vigorous work ethics, self employment, inculcating into the youth a sense of patriotism, it was therefore imperative for management of the scheme to interact with them at the end of their service to ascertain whether the outlined objectives had been achieved.
He also urged directors of the scheme to groom students and prepare them adequately for places they would be posted to.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo appealed to the people in the communities to give the service persons the needed support.
The regional minister further stated that the government’s “Better Ghana Agenda” would be a mirage if the youth did not get the opportunity to fully develop their potential.
He added that it was in that respect that the government was making quality education not only accessible, but also affordable with the free supply of exercise books and school uniforms for pupils in basic schools.
Mr Ofosu Ampofo dwelt extensively on other aspects of the NSS and youth development, stressing that the government had revamped the micro-credit schemes to help students in vocational and technical institutions to establish themselves after training.
The National President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA), Mr Gabriel Osei, appealed to management of the various organisations to increase their intake of service persons.
He deplored difficulties in accommodation for service persons, as well as delays in payment of monthly allowances, which he said, had been increased from GH¢144 to GH¢202.
Mr Osei expressed the hope that challenges facing service persons would be addressed.
Earlier, the Eastern Regional Director of the NSS, Nana Fosu-Amankwah Agyepong said although some of the service persons in the region had not lived up to expectation, on the whole, they had contributed a lot towards the development of the area.
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