Kanvilli, Ghana – Principal of the Tamale School of Hygiene, Bello Seiwu, has appealed to government to also consider paying students of the school some allowances like their counterparts in the nursing and teacher training colleges.
He said the lack of payment of allowance to students and jobs for those who complete school is affecting enrolment levels as many parents are beginning to lose interest in enrolling their wards.
Mr. Seiwu mentioned these challenges including rampant encroachment of the school land as well as the dilapidated state of the students’ two-storey hostel building in an interview with Savannahnewsonline.com during the school’s matriculation over the weekend.
Arguably Ghana’s foremost hygiene and sanitation training institution, the Tamale School of Hygiene trains skilled manpower to handle hygiene and sanitation issues in all human environments.
One hundred and seventy (170) students comprising of first and second years were matriculated and urged to take their students serious and respect the school’s laid down rules.
Adding their voices to the challenges confronting the school, Miss Rachel Amoah, a first year student called for additional toilet facilities to be constructed so as to ease the pressure on the three-seater toilet facility they have as well as reduce the rate of infection among the females.
Miss Saifawu Dauda, another first year student, complained about the exclusion of School of Hygiene students from government’s allowance programme for health and teacher trainees.
She said despite the fact that students embarked on a demonstration recently to drum home their grievances, government still has not attended to their needs and appealed for government’s consideration in that regard.
The Tamale School of Hygiene currently lacks laboratory skills training, a requirement that is mandatory for all students doing certificate and diploma programmes.
Despite the availability of brand new laboratory equipment donated to the school by the Netherlands Government recently, there is no suitable space or designated laboratory facility to set up the equipment for training purposes.
According to a member of the school’s laboratory team Mr Donatus Yieri, the lack of a laboratory set up to complement the theoretical knowledge of students is impacting negatively on the whole training given to students.
He appealed for support from government and philanthropic organisations to enable the school build a laboratory facility.
By Savannahnewsonline.com