Laboratory science education needs attention

Accra, Aug. 17, GNA - Mr Kofi Essel, Head of the Food Safety Unit of the Food and Drugs Board, on Wednesday called on the Ministry of Education to make laboratory science an interesting course to pursue at the tertiary level.

"Little is known about the profession and it does not seem to attract the attention of our national authorities," he said Mr Essel, who made the call when he launched the Ghana Association of Laboratory Scientist (GALS) in Accra, said the subject was being relegated to the background because it was not appealing enough to school leavers to pursue.

He said laboratories in most of the schools were virtually dead with no logistics to study with and commended the industries that sometimes gave assistance to them.

Mr Essel noted that laboratory science had been the bedrock of the development of science and Ghana needed laboratory science to guide medical diagnosis for the provision of effective quality assurance and quality control in all industries.

He also expressed the concern of the placement of the Higher National Diploma (HND) students when seeking job and urged the Ministry to speed up with negotiations on the issue. A nine-member interim executive was sworn in with Mr Archibald Danquah as the president.

Mr Danquah said the main aim of the GALS was to unite and seek the welfare of laboratory scientist in all sectors. He appealed to trainers involved in the training of laboratory scientists to also join the Association and support it to achieve its aim.