The Principal of St. Joseph Nursing Training College in Jirapa has expressed shock with the claims by students that he has manipulated their fees to suit his interest.

Speaking to Upper West Media Team, the Principal, Mr. Vincent Kojo Tanye indicated that school fees a prepared by the Ministry of Health and not Principals of Schools.

In June 2023, Some Nursing Trainees Accused the School of Extortion by inflating their feeding fees from Ghc1000 to Ghc1,500.

“..I was surprised when I heard of it, when the school fees are to be agreed upon, the School’s Students Representative Council and that is where these students should Channel their grievances towards, feeding was Ghc1000 last Semester but has been increased to Ghc1,500 by the Ministry of Heath..”

The Nursing Training College, Jirapa was established along side the Midwifery Training School in 1954 by the efforts of the white catholic missionaries in Jirapa led by Rev. Sr. Cyprian Mary Swales of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM), a trained nurse and midwife.

The establishment of the College was recommended by Dr. Cheverton, Chief Medical Officer who was impressed by a visit to Jirapa hospital in 1951. For the sake of accreditation by the Ministry of Health, Miss Marie White, a senior nursing tutor of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital was assigned to see the suitability of Jirapa Hospital and to report her findings to the Nurses’ Board. The report was submitted and the permission was granted to start Qualified Registered Nursing (QRN), a one and a half year general nursing programme.

The QRN became obsolete and was replaced with the Enrolled General Nursing (EGN) in august 1969. The EGN was also replaced with three year State Registered Nursing (SRN) in February 1981. Since June 1999, the current Registered General Nursing (RGN) replaced the SRN programme.

Source: Upperwestmedia.net