The Minister for Information, Mr John Tia Akologu, has said the introduction of new models under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) by the government is to bring many youth on board. He noted with concern the agitation of NDC foot soldiers clamouring for jobs and gave the assurance that the government was working hard to create more jobs for all. Mr Akologu stated this during the maiden edition of the Upper East Region Meet the Press Series in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region. It was attended by media practitioners, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Heads of Departments, Chiefs and a cross section of the public. Mr Akologu said the government would not sack anybody, especially under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP), but reminded all that the NYEP was a stop gap measure for providing employment for the youth. He said that the government had now designed an exit plan in consonance with the mandate of the programme to afford those who had served for two years to either continue with their education or be absorbed into institutions that they had served. He said that contrary to claims that the NDC would scrap the NYEP, the programme was now being expanded. He said in spite of the enormous success chalked up by the government, there were some people who had no sense of appreciation, claiming the government was not doing much. He added that they should rather be magnanimous to accept the fact that the government was doing well in spite of the situation they met. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, said the government was continuing the NYEP started under the previous administration. He said the government, however, bad to conduct a head count or manpower audit to ensure that those employed were actually working or receiving pay. "From the report received on the head count exercise, a lot of malpractice and malfeasance were uncovered within the set-up which required immediate action," he indicated. He said in the light of this, new Youth Employment Coordinators had since been recruited for the regions and districts and also new modules incorporated into the programme. He said the programme had engaged 6,356 youth under the following modules in the region: Community Teaching Assistants-1,999, Health Extension Workers-413, Youth in Afforestation-1,008, Youth in Eco-Brigade-240, Youth in Trade and Vocation-1,000, Youth in ICT-36, Paid Intemship-150, Waste and Sanitation-1,412 and Community Protection Unit-98. Source: Daily Graphic