The School of Hygiene in the Volta Regional capital of Ho is demanding the release of an infrastructure originally allocated to it by the Ghana Health Service being occupied by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).

The School’s Representative Council (SRC) stressed that the facility, when released, would help facilitate accreditations for degree programs by the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission.

Currently, the school is only accredited by the Allied Health Professional Council, which regulates the licensure exams in diploma and certificate courses.

The SRC President, Famous Yao Tiodzah, led the student body to embark on a peaceful demonstration to protest the alleged refusal by the management of UHAS to release the lecture hall facility.

Presenting a petition to UHAS, he stressed that his school urgently needs a facility situated at the Southern campus of UHAS to augment the infrastructure of the school.

Mr Tiodzah lamented that the lack of infrastructure continues to hinder their academic progress, as students are compelled to study under inconvenient conditions.

“Your parasitism has led to the School of Hygiene, Ho students having lectures under mango tree
trees, and our auditorium, which was constructed by internally generated funds.

However, this is inconvenient in the atmosphere of studies because it deprives us of the comfort, mental health, physical, and psychological mindset to pay attention whenever lectures are going on.

Most especially when it starts to rain, the students learning under mango trees have to close school automatically. How would you feel if your ward went through such situations? (Madam, the Vice Chancellor of UHAS)”, He questioned.

He could not understand why UHAS has progressed over the last 13 years, built magnificent infrastructure at its main campus in Sokode Lokoe, and yet still “holding on to what rightfully belonged to the School of Hygiene, which is suffering infrastructure challenges.”

“We need the building for accreditation. We need the building for us to be able to have comfort in the classroom and learn.

"They are sitting on our academic freedom, and we are telling them that the 13 years is enough, so they have to go now, that is why we are demonstrating”, he further said.

Mr Tiodzah demanded that UHAS release the one-storey infrastructure, cease further development of the land allocated to the School of Hygiene, within three weeks or face the repercussions.

“We are hereby giving UHAS management an ultimatum of three weeks to vacate the premises and also sign a memorandum of understanding.

"This is to help the School of Hygiene, Ho management to present the facility to GTEC for approval and accreditation of the Hygiene Programs as a matter of urgency.”

He concluded by appealing for a collaboration with GTEC and all interested parties to facilitate the accreditation of degree programs for the school after the release of the properties.

The Director of Works and Physical Development at UHAS, Arc. Ruth Xoladem Ayittey, who received the petition, promised to forward it to the appropriate quarters for redress.

“Thank you for coming here in a very peaceful manner, escorted by the police to your next-door neighbours, UHAS.

"We have received your petition, we will submit it to management, and we will definitely not overlook it. UHAS is your neighbour, we are neighbours, we are not greedy as you think”, she assured.