School of Hygiene students picket at Ministry of Health over unpaid allowances

Students of the School of Hygiene across the country are picketing at the Ministry of Health over unpaid allowances.

They say they have not received their allowances since 2017, even though they were promised GHC400 every month.

The students have pitch camp at the ministry with their mattresses, pillow, mosquito nets and cooking utensils insisting on not leaving until monies owed them are paid.

“We are not leaving here until they pay us” they insisted.

They fear their allowances have been completely scrapped without reason, pointing out that their colleagues in nursing training schools are receiving their allowances.

“The last time we picketed at the Ministry of Sanitation, they assured us that the matter is on the desk and they were working on it” the Student Representative Council (SRC) President of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital School of Hygiene, Freeheart Owusu Ampomah, told Citi News monitored by theghanareport.com

He said each student is owed GHC12,000 for the three years.

Earlier this month, the leadership of the Coalition of Schools of Hygiene students announced that its members will not sit for the end of semester examination meant for final year students until their three-year locked-up allowances are paid.

The final year students on Thursday, August 6, were at the premises of the Sanitation Ministry to picket and convey their discontent.

The restoration of nurses and teacher-trainee was topical during the 2016 elections, as the Mahama administration insisted that the cancellation of the allowances while students are allowed to apply for loans, was important to increase access to various colleges of education.

But the then opposition, led by Nana Akufo-Addo, promised to restore the allowance which was a source of income underprivileged students.

When it was restored in September 2017, the students received GH₵400 monthly with the annual budget pegged at GH ₵232million.