There are currently 182,900 NSS personnel working across Ghana, of which 35% in the education sector. That’s some 63,000 graduates.

Without them, tens of thousands of basic school classrooms would be without teachers, especially in rural communities where most licensed teachers refuse postings. These are graduates, not only teacher graduates.

Their absence would have worsened the already bad teacher deficit situation in deprived districts, denying many children their Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) rights.

I sample three (3) of such districts, using current MoE data:

In Bunkorugu-Nakpanduri (North-East), Central Gonja (Savannah), and Tatale Sanguli (North), teacher deficits are highest, ranging from 60%-86% at KG and Primary, with the highest (86%) recorded in Central Gonja at KG level.

These teacher deficit rates would be worse without a compulsory NSS. KIIs conducted last year at UG and NSS HQ suggest only 3 out of 10 will likely do a voluntary NSS. The ratio may lower depending on the level of deprivation of their host community.

Amid this context, His Excellency Dr. Bawumia proposes to scrap the compulsory NSS and make it voluntary, thereby freeing tertiary graduates to transit directly into the world of work.

How would this proposal impact education delivery in these areas?

How is Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia planning to mitigate this foreseen impact?

NB: Savannah, North East and the Northern Region are the most deprived in the education sector, with the highest ratio of out of school children in Ghana (33%-43%), compared to a 9% national average and a 5% low in Greater Accra. This situation is mainly attributed to the high teacher deficits and the lack of public basic schools in many underserved communities.