Ho, Dec. 26, GNA - A total of 2500 volunteers are to be recruited nationwide by the National Volunteer Programme under the National Service Scheme to augment teaching in deprived secondary schools. Mr George Gado, National Programme Coordinator of the Scheme announced this at an orientation seminar at Ho to select candidates for the programme in the Volta Region.

He said about 420 volunteers out of the total would be posted to decentralized departments and agencies in the 28 newly created districts.

Mr Gado said the programme, which is in collaboration with the Volunteer Service Overseas (VSO) is to support the Ghana Education Service and to "give meaning to the youth by occupying them". He announced that the programme would soon be expanded to cover deprived basic schools in the communities that over the years had been requesting for service personnel to fill in vacant classrooms. Mr Gado said the government was putting things in place to recruit senior secondary school leavers for that programme.

He warned applicants not to see it as an employment avenue and be chanting war songs when allowances were delayed but should rather see it as an opportunity to serve one's nation and mankind.

Mr Ken Gyenfi, Volta Regional Coordinator for NSS noted that the readiness of the applicants to serve in remote areas of the country showed the level of patriotism and the love they had for the nation. He urged them to be committed to the work and be proud of it and not to be lured by financial gains.

About 252 volunteers have applied to be selected for the programme, in the Region.