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Kanvilli, Ghana – The Tamale School of Hygiene is currently saddled with myriad of challenges that are impacting negatively on academic work and safety of students, that is according to school authorities.
According to Principal of the School, Bello Seiwu, the two-storey hostel building accommodating 270 students is a death-trap and needs urgent rehabilitation.
Apart from the fact that the hostel facility has developed deep cracks and leaks whenever it rains, he said there is also serious congestion in the cubicles and unbearable heat for students to contend with.
“Anytime there’s a rainstorm, whether day or night, the students run out of the building for safety. The building shakes and leaks and since they are unsure of what will happen, the students always take cover for their own safety”, he told Savannahnewsonline.com when he conducted this reporter round the school’s hostel and other facilities during the matriculation of fresh students over the weekend.
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 consideration.
Besides the dilapidated hostel facility, Mr Seiwu lamented over the rampant encroachment on the school’s land and fear there might be conflict between them and the encroachers in the near future if an immediate solution is not found to the problem.
Another building in the school which has developed defects is the school’s auditorium. The ceiling of the auditorium is rapidly rotting away due to constant leakages during the rainy season whereas most of the window nets and louvre blades are not in place.
Moreover, the school’s 25 seater Toyota coaster bus and a double cabin pick up are also grounded thereby making it impossible for students to go out for their field practical training.
The Tamale School of Hygiene also 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.
Arguably Ghana’s premier 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 studies serious and respect laid down rules governing the school.
By Savannahnewsonline.com/Philip Liebs
