The newly appointed Principal of the Damongo Nursing and Midwifery Training College (DNMTC) in the West Gonja Municipality of the Savannah Region, Mrs Shiele Issah, has outlined an ambitious vision to transform the institution through academic expansion and major infrastructure development.

Speaking in an interview with Joy News’ Isaac Nongya in Damongo, Mrs Issah said her long-term goal is to reposition the college to attain the highest level of tertiary education status in the near future.

“My dream and vision for the school is to see it attain the highest academic status. It means a lot of work has to be done in the area of infrastructure, students’ accommodation, staff accommodation, additional classroom blocks, and access to reliable internet because what we currently have does not serve the entire school,” she explained.

According to her, the college’s location in the regional capital places a responsibility on management to raise standards to match its status. She pledged to work tirelessly towards achieving that objective.

Since assuming office, Mrs Issah has increased the number of computers for students’ examinations from 55 to 100. She also identified the need to expand the library’s ICT capacity and introduce additional programmes to train human resources for the proposed Savannah Regional Hospital.

“We need additional courses because the school has to train the human resource base for the proposed Savannah Regional Hospital. We will need both nursing and non-nursing students to achieve that,” she stated.

Mrs Issah is widely described by stakeholders within and outside the health sector as a transformative leader. In 2013, she took over the Kpembe Nursing and Midwifery Training College, which then ran two academic programmes, and expanded them to six. In 2024, the school was accredited to run degree programmes in BSc Nursing and BSc Public Health Nursing, becoming the first nursing and midwifery college in Ghana under her leadership to introduce a degree programme.

She says she is determined to replicate similar reforms at Damongo.

As part of ongoing improvements, old KVIP facilities located at unapproved sites have been demolished and are being replaced with water-closet toilet facilities in line with Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC) standards.

“Per GTEC standards, tertiary institutions cannot operate KVIPs. That was why we pulled them down and are working on additional facilities to upgrade the school’s status,” she explained.

Large trees that previously hindered construction have been removed, and the campus has been reorganised with the introduction of an internal road network to improve mobility.

On security, the principal disclosed that a perimeter wall is under construction to protect students and prevent land encroachment.

Apart from the wall, we are also working on improving the entrance of the school. All these measures are necessary to enable us to secure accreditation for new programmes,” she added.

Mrs Issah assured both past and present students that her administration would not disappoint them.

“To the current students, I want to assure them that we will reach the level of other leading institutions. One day, they will look back at this school with pride because we aim to be among the first five best nursing institutions in the country, and we are working towards it,” she said.

She also appealed to alumni, residents of Damongo, the government, NGOs, and other stakeholders to support the college’s transformation agenda.

In a related development, students and residents who spoke to Joy News expressed satisfaction with the pace of development since her appointment.

SRC president of DNMTC, Elizer Bekinane, noted that within six months, significant improvements had been made.

“She met us and acknowledged that the existing infrastructure did not reflect a tertiary institution and promised improvements. Within six months, issues such as the poor campus layout and inadequate water supply have been addressed. She procured two new poly tanks, created access roads on campus, and even constructed a roundabout for the first time,” he said.

Zion Abdul Rauf, a resident of Damongo, also commended the ongoing construction of the perimeter wall to prevent encroachment.

“She has started well. I believe the government should further support the school, including landscaping and improvements at the entrance and other strategic areas,” he added.