Regional News of Thursday, 19 July 2012

Source: GNA

No Health Insurance no admission –Principal

Authorities of the National Vocational Training Center at Agona Swedru have decided not to admit students who have not registered with the National Health Insurance Scheme next year.

This is to avoid the situation where the institute would have to use its scarce Internally Generated Fund on medical bills of students.

Mr. Bernard Bananzi, Principal of the Institute, made this known when he addressed Parent Teacher Association (PTA) meeting of the institute at Agona Swedru.

It was the first meeting in four years.

He said 95% of the students have no health insurance cover and in most cases the authorities have to bear their medical bills.

He said the decision is to ease extra huge medical bills authorities were incurring and that it had not received any grant from the government for nine months.

Mr. Bananzi said since the school was established in 1947, it had not undergone any renovation and appealed to the government, Agona West and East, Municipal and District Assemblies for assistance.

He said the school lacked classroom blocks, dormitories, computer laboratory, dining hall and kitchen.

He mentioned lack of means of transport as one of the major problems facing the school saying it had one bus donated by the Korean Government in 1993 but has broken down 10 years ago.

Nana Kobena Ofori, Chairman of the PTA, appealed to the government to help fence the land to avoid encroachment and also prevent animals from using the area as grazing grounds.**