More reforms at national service secretariat -

...... postings to be released early

Graduating students who would undertake their National Service duty this year would be posted earlier than usual as part of reforms being implemented at the secretariat. This is to afford graduates the opportunity to adequately prepare for the service.

In previous years, postings were released in August, then service begins in September. This made it impossible for a lot of service personnel to psyche themselves for the duty, especially those posted to rural areas far away from home. As part of ongoing reforms at the secretariat, postings would now be released in May.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with this reporter, Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr, Director of Public Affairs at the NSS disclosed prospective service personnel will start receiving notification about their place of post from May.

He added as part of the ongoing reforms, all prospective national service personnel will be required to pay a pre-registration fee of 40 cedis at any branch of the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), using their uniquely assigned pin codes. Personnel posted to private institutions would pay the amount up front, but for those posted to public institutions, deductions will be made from their allowance when they start the service.

Prospective national service personnel will then be given access to the secretariat’s online registration platform to register for the 2015/2016 national service year.

Mr. Entsiwah Jnr added that the new measure will also aid the NSS issue ID cards to service personnel before they start their national service, unlike previous circumstances when some personnel received their cards at the end of their duty. The service is also hopeful the changes would inject some efficiency into the operations of the scheme.

“…So that when they go for their national service early September, they will take these things once, so that we avoid the situation where service persons will have to start their national service 3,4,5 months before service persons have their ID cards”, he emphasized. The new measure will begin with national service persons for the 2015/2016 service year.

The Public Affairs Director urged all prospective national service personnel to take note of the new registration procedure and comply accordingly.

Dr. Michael Kpessah Whyte, Acting Executive Director of the NSS has been engaged in an aggressive exercise to reform the secretariat after he took over last year, following a major corruption scandal. Currently, former Executive Director of the scheme Alhaji Alhassan Imoro, and some regional and district directors are being prosecuted for stealing 86.9 million Ghana cedis, in ghost name fraud.

By Nana Yaw Reuben, Freelance Journalist