The Executive Director of the National Service Scheme, Mr. Vincent Senam Kuagbenu has warned that as from next year, any eligible graduate who refuses to serve the nation under the scheme would be prosecuted.
He added that employers who employed graduates who had skipped national service would also be made to face the law, cautioning them to demand the National Service Certificate as one of the conditions of employment.
The Executive Director issued the warning on Tuesday in Bolgatanga where the Scheme is organizing an in-service training for Volunteer National Service Personnel who to teach in the most deprived areas of the region.
Mr. Kuagbenu stated that it was criminal under the constitution of Ghana for any graduate to refuse offer him or herself for National Service after graduating, saying it was mandatory, as stipulated in the Constitution that such offence could attract an imprisonment of not less than five years.
Mr. Kuagbenu expressed worry about the refusal of many graduates offer themselves for National Service especially when posted to rural areas and said as from next year the Scheme would offer be tough on such persons.
He explained that had all eligible graduates served the nation when they supposed to do so, there would not have been the need to recruit Voluntary National Service Personnel.
He appealed to the Volunteer National Service Personnel corps which is made of retired but active teachers and Post-National Service Personnel to live up to the task by working hard in the various schools they would be posted to and be agents of change in the communities. .
He noted that the Voluntary National Service Programme started in 2003 with 53 retired active teachers and Post National Service Personnel who worked efficiently, augmenting teaching and learning in schools in deprived areas.
Mr. Kuagbenu assured the personnel that their allowances would be increased and paid on time to help them discharge their duties effectively and advised them not to remain in the Voluntary Service but to aspire to higher positions in other fields.
The District Coordinating Director of National Service in charge of the Talensi-Naddam in the Upper East Region, Mr. Michael Zuri, said the Voluntary National Service Scheme had contributed immensely to teaching and learning in the District and said there had been an improvement in the results of basic, Junior and Senior High Schools.
He indicated that in the remote areas where some teachers refused to teach, Volunteers readily accepted posting to such places to work.
He indicated that the major problem confronting the Volunteer teachers was lack of accommodation and appealed to the District Assemblies and traditional authorities to assist the volunteers in that direction.