The Upper West Regional Minister, Bede Ziedeng has urged nursing training students to keep their heads up and hold on as government works around the clock to settle issues regarding their allowances.

Speaking at the 12th  Matriculation of 99 students at the Jirapa Community Health Training School, the Minister stated that “the issue of “allowa” is not peculiar to Jirapa Training School”.

“It is an issue which is national in nature. In fact all health training institutions are also not receiving their allowances and so it a matter which is being addressed at the national level by the appropriate authorities, he revealed.

“It is not something for us to handle to handle at the regional level, you know that your allowances are not paid at the regional level, the allowances are paid from Accra and it does not affect only community nursing training schools, it affects HATS, NTC and School of Hygiene. And so it is a matter that will be addressed holistically and you have to bear with us”, he pleaded.

The regional minister also gave assurances in helping to repair the schools only means of transportation, a 60 seater bus which had broken down and had been parked for over a year.

Regional Director of Health Services, Dr.Abdulai Fogoh used the occasion to urge students to be more disciplined in order to be successful in all their activities.

Dr. Abdulai stated that it is necessary for improved performance in schools, homes and offices as   students’ performance are directly linked to discipline”.

He also challenged management of the school to deal drastically with any student who is found culpable of this social canker since the rate of drug and alcohol abuse is at a very alarming rate in their institutions and facilities”.

“Our students use them despite the physical, emotional, financial and medical effects of these two evils”, he added.

A speech delivered on behalf of the freshmen by Madam Abigail Owusu Destiny appealed for streetlights to be provided to their hostels in order to prevent further harm through snake bites and scorpion stings.

She added that inadequate accommodation and classroom facilities were a major concern for the school hence overcrowding in most situations.

With over 300 application selection interview, 102 were admitted while 3 left the school for various reasons including fake results.

The school was established in 2008 under the Ministry of Health and currently has a population of Two Hundred and Four (204) and a staff population of Twenty-seven (27) including both teaching and non-teaching.