Delay in the disbursement of allowances for National Service personnel have over the years become a norm. To a large extent, these personnel have placed reliance of the allowances for their survival, yet for as long as one can remember, these allowances always delay; sometimes for several months before they are paid to these graduates.
The National Service Scheme (NSS) was established and initiated in 1973 to develop the potentials of Ghanaian graduates who complete their education from approved tertiary institutions and create opportunities for them to deliver quality services to the disadvantaged. The Scheme, which is celebrating its 50 years anniversary in 2023 has provided the country with millions of human resources to aid in national development as their mandate is to place graduates to all parts of the country and in all sectors to contribute to building the nation.
After placing graduates from the various universities to undertake their one-year mandatory service, it is required to pay monthly allowances to these graduates to support themselves during the period of work. The initial amount paid to these personnel was GH¢350, however there was an increment in April 2017 that shot up the allowance to GH¢559.04.
Just recently, the management of the National Service Scheme announced that they had obtained government’s consent for a raise in the monthly allowances provided to National Service personnel from GH¢559.04 to GH¢715.57 with effect from January 2023 and management has assured personnel of the immediate disbursement of their arrears.
The 2022 batch has also begun to voice out their concerns and frustrations as a result of the delay. Few have however, began making comments and putting up posts on their social media platforms to share their experiences in order to draw attention to the issue.
Considering the fact that some of these graduates are posted outside of their comfort zones and to towns where they have no relatives or friends. It becomes difficult to get accommodation, hence the need to rent, which usually requires one to cough up thousands of cedis at a go.
It is worthy to also note that graduates who want pursue a degree after offering a diploma programme depend on the allowances to save up to settle fees. Taking the current batch of NSS personnel as a case study, the past few months have not been easy for most as they have not been paid, hence still have to rely on parents and sometimes friends for transport fare to their various places of service.
In a couple of interviews, the acting director of corporate affairs of the scheme: Mr. Ambrose Entsiwah Jnr. has attributed the delays in payment to a process of monthly verification that seeks to confirm if persons were actually at post during the period before payments are made. This process entails NSS persons filling up forms, getting it signed by their supervisors and submitting to their regional offices.
The management of the scheme however must figure out an efficient way of undertaking this procedure to reduce the delays. In as much as there may be inconveniences within the time frame of the release of their monthly allowances, there should be transparent communication to get the much informed with tangible reasons for the delay and steps being taken to resolve it.
The NSS management can use various channels such as email, SMS, and social media to keep personnel informed. There can also be a feedback mechanism where service personnel can provide input and report delays.
The management should also identify and address the cause of the delay whether it is due to technical issues or financial constraints. By identifying the root cause, they can take effective measures to prevent similar delays in the future.
Besides that, there should be implementation monitoring systems to ensure that the disbursement process is closely monitored.
Seeking additional fund could help solve the delay if financial constraint is the cause. The National Service Secretariat can engage with relevant government authorities and other stakeholders to secure financial backing.
It is very crucial for the National Service management to proactively address the delay issue, and continuously improve their systems to ensure timely disbursement of the National Service allowances and make it sustainable in the long run; as that seems to be the biggest motivation for these young graduates to graciously serve the nation.
By Esi Wilson
