Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate, has said that the National Service Scheme will no longer be required.

Dr. Bawumia wants to see improvements in the educational system, post-secondary education, and young employment in his vision for the country.

Speaking to the public for the first time since winning the New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential nomination on Wednesday, February 7, at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), he said , “I believe it is time to rethink the concept of our current National Service Scheme … National Service will no longer be mandatory and students will have the option to decide whether to do National Service.”

He thinks that employers will go straight after kids on college campuses, turning National Service into a more optional program.

Dr. Bawumia suggests emphasizing STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), robotics, artificial intelligence, and vocational skills as ways to enhance the educational system.

He said “My government would make coding and robotics standard in senior high school.”

He discloses that there are initiatives in place to improve access to educational technology, the first of which is the impending laptop distribution to senior high school (SHS) students, which comes after teachers have received extensive training.

He explained that this program lays the groundwork for a more comprehensive plan, the “One Student, One Laptop” policy, which is targeted at university students.

This strategy will make it easier for students in need of higher education to purchase laptops by offering a zero-interest loan that is also repaid over four years at a significant 70% reduction off the laptop’s purchase price.