NSA suspends national service deployment for graduates from 13 tertiary institutions

The National Service Authority (NSA) has announced that it will not deploy graduates from 13 tertiary institutions for national service after the institutions were found not to have valid accreditation.

The decision follows a verification exercise conducted by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) after the affected institutions submitted their graduating students for national service deployment.

In a statement signed by NSA Director-General Ruth Dela Seddoh, the Authority said GTEC had confirmed that the institutions “do not currently have accredited status.”

The affected institutions are Multimedia Institute of Ghana, Abbeam Institute of Technology, Star College of Communication, Standard College of Technology, Institute of Commercial Management, UK, Christ Apostolic University College and Oxford Institute of Business and Journalism.

The others are Heaf Professional Colleges, NIIT Open Labs Ghana, Community University College, Takoradi, SS Peter and Paul Pastoral and Social Institute, Adonai University College of Research and Entrepreneurship, and College of Tropical Agriculture.

The NSA said it was therefore unable to deploy graduates submitted by the institutions “at this time.”

The Authority stressed that the decision was based on accreditation information provided by GTEC, the statutory body responsible for regulating and accrediting tertiary education institutions in Ghana.

However, the NSA said graduates from the affected institutions could still qualify for national service if their respective institutions regularise their accreditation status.

“Graduates from the affected institutions may be considered for national service deployment once the respective institutions resolve their accreditation issues with GTEC and GTEC formally communicates confirmation of their accredited status to the National Service Authority,” the statement said.

The Authority added that it would facilitate the processing and deployment of eligible graduates once GTEC formally confirms their accreditation, subject to applicable national service requirements.

The NSA has therefore advised the affected institutions to engage directly with GTEC to resolve their accreditation concerns. Graduates have also been urged to liaise with their institutions and await official communication from the Authority.

The NSA said its verification and deployment processes were designed to protect the “integrity, credibility and transparency” of the National Service Programme.

It added that it would continue collaborating with GTEC and other relevant stakeholders to ensure that only graduates from duly accredited tertiary institutions are mobilised for national service.