….3,597 graduates from 22 unaccredited institutions barred
The National Service Authority (NSA) has released PIN codes for 132,393 prospective personnel from 100 accredited tertiary institutions for the 2025/2026 national service year.
However, the Authority stated that 3,597 graduates from 22 institutions have been excluded from this year’s mobilisation, as those schools are not recognised by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC).
It comes as the immediate past leadership of the NSA and others numbering 12 are about to face criminal charges for the theft of some GHC548 million through ghost names allegedly inserted into the payroll.
The Acting Director-General of the NSA, Felix Gyamfi, announced the release in a statement dated yesterday, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, highlighting improvements in data integrity and validation protocols.
The Authority noted that the excluded graduates will only be considered once verifiable evidence of accreditation is submitted.
“All institutional accreditation data referenced in this release has been validated by GTEC,” the NSA stated, urging institutions with expired accreditation to regularise their status within 30 days to avoid complications for their graduates.
According to Mr Gyamfi, this year’s figures reflect a 26 per cent average reduction in submissions compared to the past three years, with a peak drop of 36 per cent from the 2022/2023 period, owing to the implementation of enhanced transparency and stricter validation measures.
“This process has effectively eliminated any form of inflated or bogus submissions. As a result, this year’s figures are, on average, 26 per cent lower than the numbers received over the past three years, with a peak reduction of 36 per cent compared to the 2022/2023 session,” the statement read.
The released PINs are part of 135,990 submissions made by 122 tertiary institutions.
Mr Gyamfi stressed that unless these institutions regularise their accreditation status within 30 days, their graduates would not be mobilised.
The NSA also revealed that an additional 908 PINs for private applicants, including Ghanaian students who studied abroad and deferred or defaulted candidates, are awaiting final verification before release.
“In addition to the 125 PIN codes issued to graduates submitted by accredited institutions, a further 908 PIN codes for private applicants are currently awaiting final verification from the related institutions before release.
This includes Ghanaian students who studied abroad and individuals who previously deferred or defaulted and are now ready to undertake their mandatory national service,” he stated.
He urged prospective personnel in this category to contact the Authority’s support lines if their PIN codes are still inaccessible by 24 June 2025.
As part of efforts to enhance national service, Mr Gyamfi also announced the introduction of a six-week basic military training programme. A select number of 2025/2026 service personnel will be deployed for this pilot phase.
Interested applicants can opt in during the online registration process and will only receive their agency postings after completing military orientation, ensuring no disruption to placement.
“The registration window opens on 17 June 2025 and will close on 1 July 2025. All eligible applicants are advised to complete their registration within the stated period and utilise available support resources as required for a smooth enrolmenent experience,” he said.
