The principal of the Damongo Nurses Training College, Hajia Rabiatu Iddrisu has blamed the rising cost of commodities in the market for the challenges the school is facing.
Hajia Rabiatu also said previous investment by the school in a classroom block and challenges in getting some students to pay their fees have made running of the school challenging.
Students of the Damongo Nurses Training College have been agitating against school authorities demanding better food, and accommodation, among other issues.
They also accused school authorities of not supplying first-year students with mandatory name tags, which they paid for, among others.
The school was not able to supervise students who went on clinicals this semester.
Speaking to citinewsroom.com, Hajia Rabiatu Iddrisu explained that the rising cost of commodities, which were not anticipated, has forced management to suspend some expenditures until next semester to be able to cater for emergencies.
“Food prices have doubled, and we didn’t anticipate that, and we can’t ask the students to pay more, so some of the regular things we do had to be shifted to next semester, so we can take care of emergencies like feeding and paying of rent.”
“We also had to hurriedly complete a classroom block because we want to start midwifery and that also has its impact and some of the students have not paid their fees so we have to prioritise,” Hajia Rabiatu said.
She assured that things would normalise next semester and appealed to students and tutors who are agitated to be patient with the administration.
“I know the students are fighting for their rights because they want to be comfortable, but they have to be patient, things will change next semester, so we are giving them an extended Easter break so that those who owe can go and find the money to come and pay, so we will do some of the things they are asking for next semester.”
“We are solving the accommodation problem, we are moving some tutors to other buildings to decongest the dormitories. We don’t have enough accommodation of our own, so we are renting 4 houses in Damongo and more in towns we go for clinicals to accommodate the students and their rents are due, so we are promising that too.”
Meanwhile, the students on Monday, April 11, 2022, petitioned the school threatening legal action if their grievances are not addressed.
