It’s always replaying in my mind, where am I going from here? Yearly, most students complete their programmes of study from various tertiary institutions throughout the nation.
Ghana National Service Scheme was established in 1973 under a military decree (N.R.C.D) to mobilize and deploy Ghanaian citizens of 18years and above especially newly qualified university graduates.
Many students ask a lot of questions in fear as they register for this year’s national service. Where am I going from here? Will my posting be related to the four year course I pursued at the university?
Normally graduates exercise their civil responsibility to mother Ghana through national service. I therefore commend the Ghana National Service Secretariat for the good work so far and their success in the postings of almost every graduate but a lot more still needs to be done.
We always ask these questions every year and the answer we get is always same. “National service is a state duty and you are obliged to serve”. One can best perform in what he/she has knowledge about.
Most students study very hard in the university to come out as the best by making very good grades only to be sent to a classroom to teach all because more teachers are needed.
Engineers have no teaching background. Some graduates who teach normally do so out of frustration and anger. Some cane the students mercilessly and some even end up impregnating the female students. While their colleagues are on the field solving problems they are sent to places where their dreams are shattered.
This makes the whole teaching process ineffective since the zeal for teaching by national service personnel is not present in addition to their inexperience in teaching. In as much as a teacher cannot perform appreciably in a typical engineering field, an engineer would also struggle in the teaching field.
Passion is what drives us on. You always give out your best at where you can best serve. I would suggest that postings to unknown places and postings to places not related to courses pursued at the university should be reviewed and restructured.
I also recommend that graduates be posted to their place of birth or if possible their hometowns. We are all not from cities but from different villages in different regions and we all wish to see our hometowns develop; get the opportunity to learn our history and also work diligently to see to the progress of our hometowns.
Graduates normally give out their best when serving the nation in areas that suits their course of study in the university. Both parties will benefit from this and the service will be very effective.
The growing levels of graduate unemployment and the improper placement of graduates in the national service postings always put us in fear. We should all serve mother Ghana with smiles on our faces with pride and our chest high.
I humbly plead with the authorities to look into this and help find a long lasting solution to help our young graduates.