National Service Allowance Must Be Increased

PREAMBLE
We in this statement represent NASPA Sunyani Municipal.

Gone are the days where the young was always the vulnerable in matters of discussion, now in the 21st century where the reality must be faced. Since the introduction of National Service act and its implementation the National Service Personnel since 1983 has shown meritorious and total commitment towards the nations development which 2012/2013 service year is no exception.

Just introduced contribution is the National Service Personnel in farming which has yielded tons of maize over some few years and has been donated to the prison service and other relative institutions.

When you go to most institutions in Ghana where almost all of them are at a deficit of employees and more hands are needed when Service Personnel are either on leave or has completed the National Service which the gap months use to be August, September and October but now government under the National Service Scheme has bridge this gap through National Service Personnel for the first time begun National Service on September and ends in August which is virtually 12 months and now institution always use service personnel and dump them when ever they want because if soldier go soldier come, all because the institutions don't feel absence of Service Personnel any longer to just because whilst one batch of Service group is ending in August Another is taking over right away in September. So nothing prompt them to employ anymore because before you can say jack a new batch of personnel are just entering.

We want to call on government, corporate entities, institutions, opinion leaders, the media and all stakeholders to aid combat this menace by maintaining most service personnel as we are informed most National Service Personnel takes full time duties which purportedly is for permanent officer and are laid off just after another batch has been oriented.

We are informed even that, some institution rather don't sack National Service Personnel right after the end of the National Service, but offer them with three months contract so that new National Service Personnel would be oriented by the old National Service Personnel and as soon as the new batch appreciate the orientation the old batch are sacked from post to go the search of bread under the scorching sun which is so pathetic.

We want to as matters of fact appreciate the government for effort done about the allowance of national service personnel over some years gone which our heartfelt gratitude goes to the government under the leadership of the late Asomdwee Hene, Prof. John Evan Atta Mill.

As side those efforts of the government, National Service Personnel seems to be at the bottom of the race with even Students; Students in the Nursing Training Colleges takes about GH 340, Students in the Teacher Training Colleges takes about GH 300, Students in the Agriculture Colleges takes about GH 300, etc all in a month and National service personnel who are graduate from the Universities, Polytechnics, etc takes GH 243.48 in a whole month.

When you do a little analogy on the above you would realize that National Service Personnel allowance as matter of urgency must be attended to by the government through the NSS.

Even when you deduct transportation cost which averagely is GH 70 of a National Service Personnel at post, average feeding cost is amounted to GH 190 (70+190=260) which in addition is beyond what we take for a month due to the current economic trend, other cost not added.

The most interesting part of the story is that, the Students in the Training Colleges who are fed 3 squarely and gets that bounty allowance also attains some gargantuan and gigantic back pay allowance known as “allowa Bum” which is averagely about GH 4000 for every student, good enough, what off those who are trained and motivated to be the emerging entrepreneurs of Ghana our motherland (Tertiary Student), which we know the buoyancy of every economy depends on how entrepreneurial the people are.

We are not calling for GH 4000 no, but just a quarter that (1000) because we do believe in the philosophy that says dream big and start small. When GH 1000 is given to all National Service Personnel in Ghana as back pay (“allowa Bum”) and even when only 40% of beneficiaries use it judiciously for an entrepreneurial venture, then we would realize a steep economic growth.

We do believe that this matter is handled in a very holistic approach because we are cursing the generation gone, due to little and simple mistakes made and we are being cursed as Ghanaians by the generation yet unborn because of similar cases.

Thank you.
KWAKU YAMOAH
(PRESIDENT NASPA-SUNYANI MUNICIPAL)