By:Isaac Amaoh/ tntnewspapergh.com

The final-year students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have undergone a one-day pre-service orientation programme organised by the National Service Secretariat (NSS).

The Great Hall of KNUST was filled to capacity by the prospective personnel on Thursday, 30th May 2024.

A section of the final-year students

They were engaged by the Executive Director of NSS, Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi; a member of NSS Board, who is also a Provost of KNUST, Prof. Christian
Agyare; Mr. Prince Kankam Boadu, the Ashanti Regional Director; Mr. Kofi Adu, the Head of Examinations at KNUST, including other high-profile personalities.

Hon.Osei Assibey Antwi, Executive director of NSS addressing the students

The orientation was aimed at equipping the prospective service personnel with the necessary steps to register for their mandatory one-year national service, as well as the benefits of partaking in the service devoid of any wrong perception.

Besides, the participants were given the opportunity during the orientation to ask necessary questions, while others also seized the opportunity to make useful suggestions to the management of NSS.

The Executive Director of NSS, Mr. Osei Assibey Antwi, was full of praise for the Vice-Chancellor of KNUST and her team for their continuous support to NSS since he assumed office.

According to him, when he was given the opportunity to serve as Executive Director, President Akufo-Addo tasked him to be innovative and come out with innovative ideas to enhance the performance of NSS, and by God’s grace and with the support of his hard-working management, the NSS board and other key stakeholders, there have been unprecedented improvements so far.

He said, “As we speak now, for the first time in the 50 years of NSS, we now have an official policy; cabinet has already approved moves to make the secretariat an authority.

“With the help of digitalisation, NSS has saved the state huge sums of money and stopped backdoor engagements. That master card Foundation has partnered NSS to train over 40,000 personnel with employable skills under its agricultural model, among others.”

According to Mr. Assibey Antwi, NSS was not driven by a policy before he assumed office, but for the first time after 50 years, NSS policy has been launched.

He revealed, “The deployment we’re going to do will be different from the previous years. Please we’re not going to deploy you anyhow but will look at your background to deploy you accordingly.”

He stressed that NSS is focused on equipping personnel to become employable.

He said another area he was focusing on to create employment is through the agricultural model.
He disclosed that since he assumed office, NSS had acquired 20,000 acres of land which had been supported by master card to train 40,000 agric students with set-up capital.

He said the models they would be taken through would shape their lives.

Mr. Assibey Antwi cautioned prospective personnel not to resort to backdoor engagements to get someone to change their postings for them because it wouldn’t work due to pragmatic systems put in place.

He said measures had been put in place to avoid manipulation. “Through the power of digitisation, it is now simple to sit in your comfort zones and go through the enrolment process for deployment,” he added.

The main objectives of NSS are: developing the personality of students through community service, understanding the community in which they work, understanding themselves in relation to their community and identifying the needs and problems of the community.

Prof. Christian Agyare, a Board
Member of NSS, who doubles as a Provost of KNUST, encouraged prospective service personnel to accept postings to wherever they would be posted and exhibit exemplary leadership.

According to him, currently it is easier for prospective service personnel to go through the process.

He said under the leadership of Mr Assibey Antwi, his management and with the support of the board, there had been massive improvement in the national service scheme.

“Kindly accept posting for your mandatory service and be committed to your duties and exhibit exemplary leadership,” he urged them.

Mr. Martin Tutu, Head of Registration in Ashanti, who is also the Bekwai Municipal NSS Director, took the participants through the registration process.

He cautioned them not to disclose their personnel pincodes and email addresses to third parties.