The deputy ranking member on the Education Committee in Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak has described Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s proposed scrapping of the National Service Scheme as unpatriotic.
Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia in addressing ministers, leadership of the NPP and party supporters at UPSA in Accra, disclosed that as part his plans for the youth National Service Scheme will no longer be mandatory under his presidency.
“National Service will no longer be mandatory and students will have the option to decide whether to do National Service,” the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Flag bearer reiterated.
However, a senior political science lecturer at the University of Ghana – Legon, Dr. Asah Asante has advised the Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia to reconsider his decision on throwing the National Service Scheme away.
Speaking on the Morning Starr with Francis Abban, the senior political science lecturer stated that he disagrees with the position of the Vice President.
“I disagree with him. The National Service, if you look at it carefully, is one of the areas that have come to support this government, the government is running away simply because they have not been able to pay them and pay a realistic amount of money to them,” Dr. Asante stated.
In a terse, the deputy ranking member on the Education Committee in Parliament stated that Dr. Bawumia’s intended plan will only favor the sons and daughters of the social, political, and economic elite.
“Is it not obvious that the only group of students who may get jobs immediately after school are bound to be the sons and daughters of the social, political, and economic elite? To me, this proposal is a plot to exempt the sons and daughters of the social, political, and economic elite from serving Ghana.
“Such an elitist proposal will only entrench an already worrying class system and must not be entertained. Reject elitism, reject discrimination, and reject DMB,” he stated.
Below is the full statement by Dr. Clement Apaak
OPTIONAL SERVICE IS UNPATRIOTIC
Among the many inconsequential proposals DMB has tabled is that National Service wouldn’t be compulsory. According to him, students who gain employment immediately after school would be exempted, and that this arrangement would allow companies to go to campuses to recruit students directly because they don’t go to the campuses to recruit anymore.
The question is, what problem would this fix? Would this address the issue of graduate unemployment? Don’t we have several thousands of graduates trained in all fields looking for jobs? So, what problem is this strange, incoherent, and unpatriotic proposal going to deal with?
Is it not obvious that the only group of students who may get jobs immediately after school are bound to be the sons and daughters of the social, political, and economic elite? To me, this proposal is a plot to exempt the sons and daughters of the social, political, and economic elite from serving Ghana.
Such an elitist proposal will only entrench an already worrying class system and must not be entertained. Reject elitism, reject discrimination, and reject DMB.
Dr. Clement Apaak
M.P, Builsa South
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/103.5FM
