NSS holds stakeholders meeting

National Service Personnel would now be posted only to organisations that formally request for them, Mr Emmanuel Asante, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Director of the National Service Scheme (NSS), said at the weekend.

Speaking at a stakeholders meeting organised by the scheme to promote positive collaboration with user organisations in Takoradi, he said the measure had been taken to check fraudulent practices.

He said organisations that do not submit formal requests in time are likely not have service personnel to them.

Mr Asante advised heads of user organisations not to accept appointment letters of service personnel that had not been endorsed by the Regional Director of NSS.

He said heads of user agencies must endorse all three copies of the appointment letters submitted by the service person to complete the process.

Mr Asante said it is unacceptable for any user agency to transfer national service personnel from their original posting points.

Any change in the posting of service personnel is the sole prerogative of the Executive Director of the NSS who could schedule the Regional Director to do so on his or her behalf, Mr Asante said.

He asked the user agencies that organise aptitude test for personnel before accepting their postings to put an end to the practice, saying it put them in needless stress, idleness and deprive them of their allowances.

Mr Asante said the practice is inconsistent with the spirit of the NSS and warned that sanctions would be applied against organisations involved in the exercise. He said all quasi governmental and y private organisations are expected to pay 20 per cent of the total allowance of service personnel as service charge to the state through the NSS.

He said although private schools are exempted from paying the charge it is not meant to affect the allowance paid to the service personnel.