Some students demonstrating and demanding for their allowance
After several letters and petitions to various Authorities connected to the development and the running of the Bolgatanga Nurses Training College, Tutors and students of the College, on Wednesday October 11, decided to implement their threats, by locking out the Principal, Baba Awalu .
The Students demonstrates to get the attention of Authorities higher than their Principal, to the need to improve on their classroom and dormitory accommodations to create an enabling environment for their studies. They also complained of poor sanitation management and demanded for proper accountability for the development levies they pay to the College.
The third year students of the College want the Principal, Baba Awalu to produce their GHc450.00 allowance that was paid by the then National Democratic Congress government in December 2016, to be distributed to each Trainee of the College.
The Tutors on the other hand, locked out the Principal on Tuesday, so as to prevent him from tempering with documents that could be used against him in some mismanagement cases leveled against him.
The Tutors want Authorities higher than the Principal, to get him to step aside to allow an investigation into alleged breach of procurement Law, since he assumed office.
They also accused the Principal, Baba Awalu of misappropriating the College’s Funds and wants him to be changed immediately and be made to pay back whatever he has misappropriated.
For many years, students of the Bolgatanga Nurses Training College have complained of poor and inadequate toilet facilities and other sanitation problems, but very little seem to have been done to change the situation.
It is very common to see female and male students squatting in bushes and in and around uncompleted buildings in the Zaare community, where the College is located, to defecate on daily basis. This situation has caused a bad relation between the students and the Youth of the community, because the Youth, beat and humiliate the Nursing Trainees, anytime they get them defecating openly.
It’s been over 60 years since the Bolgatanga Nurses Training College was established and yet, the College cannot boast of seeing any major renovation or addition in its facilities, even though the College’s admissions keep increasing and students keep paying development levies.
This has resulted in an inadequate classrooms, offices and Students accommodations. The electricity system is gradually breaking down and at the time the students and Tutors were demonstrating, not all Departments of the College had light.
In the night, the Student’s are not able learn as expected, because of the poor lighting system in the College. Classrooms that are supposed to have five fans and bulbs for effective learning at night, now have two or in many cases only one bulb is available.
The Students’ Representative Council President, Simon Kombian said the leadership of the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, has assured that, it will do everything possible to get their grievances addressed.
The students later presented their petition to the Upper East Regional Health Directorate and one to be given to the  Upper East Regional Minister, Rockson Bukari.
Meanwhile, the Principal of the Bolgatanga Nurses Training College, Bawa Awalu has said that, the allegations that Tutors are raising are not new, and are being investigated.
He want the Tutors to open his office to allow him to work, since that office is a public office meant for him to work for the state.
FROM: EBO BRUCE-QUANSAH, Zaare, Bolgatanga