Throwing away National Service unpatriotic and discriminatory – Apaak to Bawumia

The deputy ranking member on the Education Committee in Parliament, Dr. Clement Apaak has criticized Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s proposal to eliminate the National Service Scheme, calling it unpatriotic.

Speaking at UPSA in Accra to ministers, NPP leadership, and party supporters, Dr. Bawumia outlined his intention to make the National Service Scheme optional for youth under his presidency as part of his youth-oriented plans.

“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.

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: Today.com.gh