NSS registration for national service: step by step guide and deadlines 2019/2020

How well acquainted are you with the NSS registration? The National Service Scheme (NSS) is one of the vital schemes that the government of Ghana has put in place to help freshly-graduated students from the higher institutions every year. The scheme serves as a platform for deploying a pool of skilled workforce among these students so as to support development efforts in the public and private sectors of the country. Therefore, this article focuses on how to go about your registration, the steps that you need to take and other information that may be of help to you.

Established in 1973, the National Service Scheme does not only deploy graduates to established institutions in the country but also collaborates with various agencies to ensure that rural communities are not sidetracked in the development process enjoyed in urban areas. Apart from that, they ensure that the spirit of national service is encouraged so as to facilitate the building of the nation through active participation.

NSS registration procedure

On a yearly term, graduates who have just finished from the tertiary institution need to register for the National Service Scheme (NSS). It is after they have done this that they are then eligible to be deployed to public parastatals, and private establishments who write to the scheme seeking for deployment of some of these graduates to their establishments.

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Moreover, while the process involved in registering is not burdensome, you are encouraged to get the details clear before you proceed to register. Then, you should note that based on the requirements of the Scheme, graduates who are applying at the time they finished from the higher institution must be eighteen years and above. The processes are explained below:

Step 1 - Get your pin code for enrollment

Before you can proceed to register, it is vital that you, first of all, apply for your enrollment pin. It is after you have gotten this that you may then continue to the other stages in the registration procedure. And to get your pin, you need to write an official application and address it the Executive Director of NSS. The details of the address are given below:

Ghana National Service Scheme,

46 Patrice Lumumba Road,

Airport Residential Area,

Box 46, State House,

Accra, Ghana.

When you are writing your letter, ensure to add your full name as well as the institution from which you finished your education. Then, it is compulsory that you also note the course (programme) that you pursued, the year you completed your programme and the index number of your school for easy reference.

Step 2 - Attach relevant certificates

Once you have written your letter, before you forward it to the Executive Director's office, make sure that you have included a copy of your certificate or transcripts as this will further serve as proof that you finished from the acclaimed higher institution. Also, you need to get an introductory letter from the institution where you finished, a valid National ID card as well as that of your school ID.

However, if you have obtained the enrollment pin before but you could not go for a reason or the other, it is expected that you also have to write a letter asking for reactivation of your code to the Executive Director of NSS. Once you have done this, remember to attach relevant certificates as well as all the information that you stated in the first letter which you wrote when you were initially applying.

Step 3 - Wait for notification

Interestingly, once your pin code is available, you will get an SMS notification of its availability. To check for your pin code online, all you have to do is log in to the official website of the National Service Scheme. Usually, you will see the option at the left-hand side of your computer where it is written "CHECK & PAY FOR PINCODE". After clicking on it, you would be required to enter your Index Number or School ID Number, and once you have done that, you click on the search button.

Step 4 - Make the necessary payments

After you have clicked on the search button, your pin code and personal information would later be displayed on the screen for your confirmation. While you take note of the pin code for future reference, you would be required to make a payment of GHS 40 before you can start your online registration. As touching this payment, there are two options that you have - you can visit any of the branches of Agricultural Development Bank (ADB) to pay, or you use the MTN Mobile Money Payment option.

Step 5 - Complete your registration online

To achieve that, once you visit the NSS portal, you will be required to log in with your details which are your username (i.e. your school index number or ID number) and your password (which is your payment pin code). After these are correctly inputted, you will then be able to access NSS application form. Once you have provided all the necessary information that are needed for your posting, click on submit, and then, download or print your receipt containing an NSS alphanumeric code. This code is very important because you will need it for identification purpose all through the process.

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Apart from the code that you would be assigned, you also get your NSS dashboard automatically. It is from there that you can review any information relating to your registration or request for services from the NSS.

Step 6 - Wait for your deployment and appointment letter

Once you have completed the aforementioned processes, the next thing that you need to do is to be on the lookout for your deployment news. Once you have confirmed your deployment and also received your appointment letter, the next thing for you to do is to go and report at your new place of assignment.

NSS registration closing date 2019/2020

At the moment, it is expected that those who want to register for the 2019/2020 batch of the NSS should have begun. This is due to the fact that the deadline will soon approach. Based on a press release that was signed by the Executive Director of the NSS, Mustapha Ussif, it is expected that applicants should have been submitting their application letter at any regional Secretariat of the Scheme or the NSS head office in Accra.

According to the release, more so, whosoever wants to apply has up to Friday 29th March 2019 to carry out his or her registration for the national service. Then, together with other certified copies of documents that an applicant would submit, such can submit any of the National Identifications including Travel Passport, Driver’s License, Voters National ID card alongside.

NSS posting

When it comes to your posting, there are a number of factors that come to play in determining where exactly you would be posted. Specifically, some of the major things that are put into consideration are:

• Your course of study;
• The region that you chose while filling your registration form.
• The rate of demand for human resources in a location;
• Extreme health conditions;
• The requests placed by user agencies;
• Social integration, and so on.

Also, a redeployment may be considered from a Service Person if the place that he or she is posted to may affect his or her health (and that is if the Service Personnel has any health issue). In such a situation, a written petition would be required, and the relevant medical documents must be submitted along with the petition.

NSS allowance

Interestingly, every Service Personnel is entitled to a monthly allowance as determined by the Ministry of Finance all through the period of service. However, the date that such personnel reports for duty and or begins work are what is used to calculate when the payment begins. However, for those who are posted to schools and colleges under the Ghana Education Service, Ministries, Government Departments and establishments, they are expected to be paid from whatever fund is lodged with the government treasuries by the National Service Secretariat.

For those who are posted to private companies, the companies that employ them are expected to take care of the National Service Personnel allowance. Apart from that, the companies are to pay 20% service charge that is equivalent to the basic service allowance on a monthly basis to the Executive Director, National Service Secretariat. The only group that is exempted from this payment are private educational institutions.

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If you are confused about how to find your allowance, all you have to do is to log on to the official website of NSS. Once you are there, you would be requested to fill in your National Service Scheme (NSS) number and after doing that, you click on the search button. If, for any reason, your NSS Number is not found, you do not have to feel bad; just contact your District or the Regional Director for the necessary action.

Importance of National Service Scheme (NSS)

There are lots of benefits that abound of every graduate who observes the one-year program with the National Service Scheme (NSS). However, the following are a few reasons why the program is essential.

1. It is an opportunity for the Personnel to acquire practical knowledge on how to practice social harmony and how to integrate with others nationally.
2. Through the scheme, youth also learn how to mobilise and engage people for community participation.
3. With the practical experience that they will get, it will equip them with the requisite skills to tackle various life and work-related problems.
4. By virtue of the training that they undergo during the one-year program, the national service personnel seem to be in a better position to develop the capacity that will enable him or her to address emergencies and natural disasters.

With the opportunity given to service personnel to register online, you will discover that NSS registration has become so easy and well-organised. At least, nnce you have confirmed your pin code and made the necessary payment, the next stage in the registration process becomes a lot easy. And with the information shared here, hope you find it helpful in your subsequent registration process.

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Source: YEN.com.gh