A two-day Pre-National Service Orientation has been held for final year students of the University of Cape Coast (UCC).

Organised by the Office of the Dean of Students’ Affairs-UCC, the orientation was aimed at helping final year students have a better understanding of national service.

A Deputy Executive Director of the National Service Scheme, NSS, Mrs. Gifty Oware-Mensah, urged the prospective national service personnel to be patriotic and contribute their quota towards national development.

She took the prospective service personnel through the process of logging onto the Scheme’s website to check their placements. 

Mrs. Mensah pointed out that national service will start in September 2023 and end in July the following year, whilst personnel could have terminal leave in August.

^{Deputy Executive Director of the Scheme, Mrs. Gifty Oware-Mensah addressing the students}

She added that NSS was not obliged to post personnel to preferred regions or user agencies. However, proven ill health, exams re-sit, completion of HND service prior to the degree, among others, were some of the exemptions.

According to her, some of the offences under the ACT 426 of the NSS included evasion, desertion, self-posting, absenteeism and lobbying.

Mrs. Mensah cautioned the soon-to-be service personnel against the activities of some unscrupulous and diabolical elements in respect of an existing opportunity for prospective personnel to check their postings for a fee before it was officially released. She implored them to desist from involving themselves in such negative acts and assist the security personnel to expose the perpetrators.

The team from the NSS  Central Regional Office who were present included;  Mr. Emmanuel Coffie - Acting Regional Director, Madam Joyce Vidza - Regional Administrator, Mr. Ernest Adansi - Regional MIS Manager and Mr. Benjamin Nana Benning - Regional Finance Manager.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC