Bolgatanga NTC Students Appeal to Government to Improve Infrastructure and Security in the School.

uncompleted infrastructure

Students of the Bolgatanga Nursing Training College in the Bolgatanga municipality of the Upper East Region have appealed to Government through the Upper East Regional Minister to improve the infrastructure of the school to enhance effective teaching and learning and ensure the Security of students and tutors of the school.

The students made the appeal during a visit by the regional Minister to interact with staff and students of the school and to get a first hand information of the success and challenges of the school.

Established in 1950 as the first health training institution of the region,  the school has not seen major improvement in the infrastructure situation of the school since.

The school was moved from the now midwifery training college closer to the regional hospital to the current place which was initially constructed for the purpose of a laboratory. The school has since used the infrastructure it inherited to turn out numerous health personnel for the region and beyond amidst various challenges.

Land: The administrators of the school and various stakeholders have been at loggerheads with the land owners for ownership of the land. Though the school has operated from the land area it occupies since its establishment, it has not been able to claim ownership of the land. The land owners are reluctant to allow them use the land for any developmental projects with the claim that government did not compensate the land owners. This has hindered the construction of infrastructure in the school.

Accommodation: The school currently has a population of about 382 students with many of them unable to stay in the school premises for effective teaching and learning. The third years are forced to stay outside the school amidst exorbitant accommodation charges.

Lecture Halls: There is no adequate lecture halls in the school to accommodate the students for teaching and learning. The school also has only one auditorium of about 100 capacity that is been used for school gatherings and other occasions.

A section of the students

Lightning: The lightning situation in the school and along roads to the school are also poor. Students encounter various attacks from attempted rape to gadgets snatching by thieves who use the dark areas as their hideouts.

The SRC president and the Woman Commissioner of the school in an interview with the media said the challenges they face in the school is affecting their studies

“Anytime we want to gather there is no auditorium for us just as we gathered today. We were not observing the Corona Virus protocols. Some of this things doesn’t give us the room to feel free to learn. And again, I said earlier that we are supposed to have large rooms to be called lecture halls but as it is now, we don’t have large lectures rooms to be called lecture halls and for that, we are always congested in our lecture halls. “

“As at now, third years are moving out in August to go and rent because the school is about admitting first years and there is no adequate accommodation.”

“ Our environment, we spoke about street lightening. In the evening some of us go to the hospital for practicals and personal studies but several times some of our colleagues have been attacked by criminals on their way to or from the hospital. They use the dark places as their hideouts “

They therefore appealled to the government  through Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu to come to their aide to resolve the challenges especially the land accommodation issues.

Upper East Regional Minister

Hon. Stephen Yakubu assured the staff and students that their grievances will be forwarded to the appropriate ministries with follow ups for redress.

“The land issue which has been a decades problem will be given the needed attention. We will meet with the land Lords and other key stakeholders to work out a resolution to end it forever “

The Hon. Stephen Yakubu was accompanied by the Bolgatanaga municipal Chief Executive Officer and other officers from the Regional Coordinating Council.

By: Simon Agana/mywordfmonline.com

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