The leadership of the association on last Friday, had a brief but intensive meeting with Hon Mustapha Yussif, the acting Director of the National Service Scheme. Our meeting with the Director was necessitated by the increasing agitation on the part of national service personnel’s who are looking for series of answers to their concerns. The key concern has to do with the increment of the allowance announced by the out gone government in November last year. As a matter of urgency, it was only prudent for the association to press on with the concerns and seek answers for its constituents. Series of matters were discussed throughout our engagement with the Director and it’s imperative that we bring to the fore what transpired.
ON NSS ALLOWANCE INCREMENT
In fact, we were eager to listen to the answer the Director was going to give when a question regarding the allowance increment was thrown to him. The Director made it explicit to us in his submission that as at now he cannot promise us that there is going to be an increment neither can he promise us that there is not going to be an increment. According to him, he captured in the budget he submitted to the Finance Minister for the budget reading in Parliament the supposed increment and he will be called to do budget defense before Parliament has its final deliberations on it. Due to this, personnel’s can only hope and pray that Parliament approves of it but candidly the onus doesn’t lie within his domain to determine whether or not there’s going to be an increment.
ON NSS ORIENTATION
Many people have been approaching the doors of the Secretariat for reasons which best satisfy them. One of the pivotal challenges the Secretariat has had to deal with has to do with personnel’s unpreparedness to explore different parts of the country and all would want to be centered in Accra. According to the submission made by the Director, there is going to be an introduction of what would be termed as an orientation for personnel’s awaiting their posting. Even though the orientation has been in existence for the past 5 years, it has not been operational for the past two years and it’s the goal of the Secretariat to fully install this system as a way of psyching personnel’s to be ever ready to face every part of the country they will be posted to. The Director reiterated the need to accept every region or district one will be posted to so one can fully comprehend the way a particular group of people or culture operates. He cited gallant men and women in this country who got the opportunity to do their service in remote areas but didn’t overlook the importance of having this opportunity and instead embraced it with ecstasy and today they are grateful they took charge of the opportunity.
There was also clarification concerning the duration of the service. Even though it is clear that the duration of the service is 1 year yet many, day in and day out have speculated that one can end the service after six months and shall still be awarded a certificate. The Director stated categorically that under no circumstance does any law of such nature exist within the act which regulates the affairs of the scheme. But he also accepted that there are special instances where personnel’s can end their service after six months but that can only be done according to the discretion of the Secretariat.
Bringing the discussion to an end, the association pledged its support towards the activities of the scheme especially with the campus orientation which the Secretariat seeks to embark on. The association echoed its preparedness in service as the fulcrum around and through which the Secretariat can get to personnel’s.
Signed ©
Emmanuel Nana Kwame Agyemang Daakyehene.
Information and International Relations Secretary, USAG.
0279966909/0549339573.
Emmanuel Kwarteng Frimpong
President, USAG.
0244694818.