The current national service system is not of any use to the country, retired diplomat K.B. Asante has said.
“To me it (national service) has already lost its relevance, and, perhaps, we should revisit the drawing board and have another system and let’s … perhaps do it like a volunteer system,” Mr Asante said on Class FM Tuesday, 7 February, during a discussion about the mandatory one-year duty to the nation which everyone who graduates from a tertiary institution is supposed to undertake.
“I think what we call national service now is an apology of service to the people. …There’s nothing service about it, there’s nothing national about it…” Mr Asante added, describing it as “an apology of service and we should try to change it for something real and it doesn’t matter even if everybody doesn’t do it, we should make it more voluntary…”
The discussion has become topical following the revelation that two of President Nana Akufo-Addo’s ministerial nominees: Catherine Afeku and Otiko Afisa Djaba, have not done their national service – a legal requirement for employment in the public sector.
Asked if he thought the two should be disapproved by parliament despite not having done their national service, Mr Asante said: “I would say that those involved who want the high positions should still be approved but they should be made to atone for their not having done national service, perhaps, pay some contributions, when they get the job, to some of these organisations which try to help deprived people in the villages and so on …”
Source: classfmonline.com
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Since when Mr. Diplomat? not when ndc was in power but now nana is in charge. nice
The fact that there is nothing service ad there nothing national in it means we should stop it. We need to go to the drawing board and review its intended purpose and ensure that its a national service.
national service is in fact ***barred word***, let me tell you the reason, the reason is that some government agencies use service personnel for their works and at the end of the month they go and take their monthly salary. where i had my service they just used us and they will be sitting down doing nothing i mean nothing. All they will be doing is to wait and at the end of the month they begin to watch their phone to see text messages from their banks
I perfectly agreee with the senior citizen the national service should be revisit. but since it is still madatory in our status bookks the culprits should suffer the penalty for not serving
so if these our so-called leaders are not doing it, why should I also be forced to do it. it is unfair when some employers use that as employment requirement to deprive us from getting some jobs. I was deprived of getting a lucrative job after school to take care of my family because of National Service. And we also see publications from the National Service secretariat warning employers, but the national employer itself is not obeying this policy. Henceforth, we do not want to see any such warning publication from the secretariat. If they are serious and have power then they should be implementing it themselves. Amen. Aah, what kind of country is this?
Do you remember Oti Bless of NDC? he did not do any national service but NDC majority in parliament passed him for ministerial position. oh Ghana.
If the so call appointees Catherine Afeku and Otinko Afisa Djaba have not done their National service, they should go back and serve before the appointment should be given to them. There should be leadership by example. they are not better than any other human being. We must respect the aged for they can tell us the hidden stories. Thank you grandpaa