ShareThe National Service Scheme (NSS) in the Bolgatanga Municipal, Upper East Region has adopted online services for applications and postings to minimize direct contact with stakeholders.

The measure is to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus and keep all stakeholders safe.

Mr Brown Korley, the Municipal Manager of the National Service Scheme, in an interview with the GNA in Bolgatanga, said his office began receiving applications online from user organizations for the services of NSS personnel.

He said because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scheme had moved away from the traditional system of distributing letters and personal arrangement to online applications by the user organizations.

It was also using television and radio to make announcements on updates for interested student applicants and user organizations.

“We are not in normal times and the observance of COVID- 19 protocols is critical and it is more difficult to take letters of students on attachment round to user organizations that request for their services,” Mr Korley said.

He said over 1,000 National Service Personnel were attached to various institutions in the Municipality within the 2019 -2020 year and trained teachers were due to complete their service in August while other two batches in education and health would end their service in September 2020.

Mr Sulemana Harrin Paul, a National Service Person, who will be completing his attachment at the Bolgatanga Regional Coordinating Council in August 2020, appreciated the strict adherence to the COVID-19 protocols by the Council, which ensures that hand washing buckets, soap and sanitizers were available all the time.

He urged other organizations patronizing National Service personnel to endeavour to do same to protect them from the virus by providing Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) and constantly ensuring that they followed the protocols.

Notable institutions that patronize the services of the scheme include the Ghana Education Service, the Regional Coordinating Council, District Assemblies and the Volta River Authority.