The Ghana Nurse and Midwife Trainees Association (GNMTA) is currently in disapproval of an increase in nursing school fees announced by the Ministry of Health. They have contacted the Ministry of Health with an ultimatum stating that the stakeholders must meet with them to negotiate and discuss the fee changes.
The fees that have increased are in the areas of food, library use, computer maintenance, practical assessment, educational visits, exams, and utilities, among others. The fees have become so exorbitant that some students have given up on continuing school. GNMTA members have voiced their thoughts that some of the services provided that are rising in cost don’t need to be provided by the schools in the first place, like food.
Another area of concern for GNMTA members is “repetitive levying,” which is when schools charge each semester for educational visits that only happen once in a prospective nurse’s career. GNMTA members also claim some schools charge for computer labs that they don’t have or have never given students any access to. As a result, students pay for something they will never benefit from. School libraries are also worrying to GNMTA members: many libraries close at 6:00 pm, and classes get out at 5:00 pm. Most libraries aren’t open on weekends and don’t have relevant or current material for students in any case.
Creative Commons Love: CC Chapman on Flickr.com
Comments
About the Author
