NSS Responds To Backlash About GH₵40 Enrollment Fee: "There Is Nothing Wrong With The Fee"
- The management of the National Service Scheme has responded to the backlash that the GH¢40 enrollment charge has generated
- Some critics have called the GH¢40 enrollment charge a rip off and extortion tactic being employed by the NSS to generate revenue it did not work for
- But the NSS argues, the money pays for several online and ICT related services and thus cannot be removed
The National Service Scheme (NSS) has retorted that the GH¢40 fee charged to prospective service personnel is not wrong.
The scheme says the GH¢40 online activation fee prospective students are expected to pay to activate their PIN codes is not extortion, as some critics have claimed.
Source: UGC
The NSS stated that the fee has been in place for more than a decade, and thus, recent claims that the fee is a rip-off are misplaced and should be disregarded.
In a statement issued on June 21, 2024, by the Director of Corporate Affairs, Armstrong Essah, the NSS said since the introduction of the online registration system in 2006, the scheme has been charging GH¢40 for the pin codes.
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The fee, NSS revealed, is for essential ICT infrastructure and other services to ensure operational efficiency.
Essah explained that of the GH¢40 fee, GH¢10 was used for electronic NSS ID cards, GH¢10 for National Service Personnel Association (NASPA) dues, and the remaining GH¢20 dues for online services, which are paid to the service provider.
He said the online services cover the cost of NSS certificates, facilitate the monthly upload of assessment forms, and support ongoing maintenance and upgrades to the NSS online registration system.
He said the fee also covers hosting the NSS ICT infrastructure and managing the central ICT system.
Essah argued that the NSS should be commended for keeping the fee stable for the past decade instead of being accused of extorting students.
He explained that, in the face of rising costs of internet services and other ICT-related services, the scheme has refused to pass on the additional cost to service personnel.
He said the NSS remains dedicated to continuously improving its services and has called for constructive feedback from the public and stakeholders on its processes.
Sulemana Braimah protests GH₵40 fee
Earlier, Sulemana Braimah, the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa, protested the enrollment fee payment for prospective national service personnel.
The directive, the latest addition to the process, has drawn the ire of Braimah, who says it is unconscionable for the scheme to charge enrollment fees for students who are rendering a free service to the country.
He noted that should the students pay, the NSS will make GH₵5.3million without providing additional services to the prospective personnel.
He has called for the enrollment fees to be scrapped immediately
NASPA threatens to strike over unpaid allowances
YEN.com.gh reported that the National Service Personnel Association has threatened to take strike action if their allowance arrears are not paid.
The government has yet to settle its January and February allowance arrears.
Currently, the parties are in talks; however, should their allowances not be paid immediately, NASPA would lay down its tools.
Proofread by Berlinda Entsie, journalist and copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
