The National Service Scheme (NSS) has clarified the GH¢40 Online Enrolment Activation fee required from prospective national service personnel to activate PIN codes for the 2024/2025 service year enrolment.

There was a significant public uproar following media reports about the Online Enrolment Activation fee. However, the NSS has addressed these concerns in a statement dated Friday, June 21.

The NSS explained that the GH¢40 charge for PIN codes is not a recent development, countering claims that it is a new fee.

The NSS described the publications about the fee as "twisted and skewed," urging the public to disregard misleading information and understand the long-standing nature of this fee.

“The National Service Scheme (NSS) has taken notice of concerns raised by a section of the public regarding the GH¢40 fee required from prospective national service personnel to activate PIN codes for the 2024/2025 service year enrolment."

“It is clear that the authors of the storyline did not find out much about the issues and rather sought to twist and skew the story to portray the Scheme negatively to the public, as though this was an extortion, as they suggested in their write-up. Management wishes to clarify that the GH¢40 charge for PIN codes is not a recent development.”

The Scheme emphasised that the fee was originally deducted from the personnel’s first month allowances, but in 2015, the payment method was changed to require service personnel to pay before enrolment.

“The fee was initially paid through deductions at source from the first month allowances of the service personnel after they have been posted. However, the mode of payment was changed in 2015 to allow service personnel to pay before enrolment," the statement added.