Yamfo College of Health students fight school management over deceit

Students of the Yamfo College of Health have threatened to embark on a demonstration to register their displeasure about some alleged deceptive actions of their school authorities.

This comes after the management of the school self-confessed that they had no accreditation to undertake some of its programs although they had admitted students for it, ABC News can report

In a press statement, the students also accused school authorities of lying to them that the school was affiliated to the University of Cape Coast and has indicated so on its website.

However, they claim that checks with the University of Cape Coast (UCC) reveal that the school has no affiliation with UCC.

“From a list of schools affiliated to the University of Cape Coast, College of Health-Yamfo is not part, yet the school authorities keep telling students the institution is fully affiliated to the University of Cape Coast. Moreover, this information is even written at College of Health-Yamfo official website.”

The students add that those of them who have decided to take the matter up have “been tagged and (are) being victimized by some individuals in authority.”

“Some parents are becoming agitated, and a lot more are hopeless. The public needs to share their sentiments, the life of over hundred students are being jeopardized. The government of Ghana and all other relevant stakeholders who have a role to play in this process should come on board as a matter of urgency else they are hitting streets and will be demonstrating massively this coming week,” the statement adds.

Below is the full statement from the students

The College of Health (Yamfo) is a ministry of health training school which was established in 2015. Currently as we speak, an injunction from the Sunyani High Court of Justice has been placed on the school to temporary halt all academic activities. Some students shared their sentiments:

1. Every semester we pay school fees to the Ministry of Health including fees for accreditation. The first batch of students will finish school in September 6, 2019. All this while management kept on assuring students that the institution has a full accreditation from National Accreditation Board (NAB). Moreover, at the school’s website it is indicated that the Physician Assistantship Program is regulated by the Medical and Dental Council. In just about a month to finish school, the school authorities called all final year Physician Assistant students and informed them that the school is now in the process of getting accreditation – total deception.

2. A similar incident happened at Kintampo just last year and as we speak 2 batches of students are home without certificate and jobless. Their acting Principal by then who during his administration allowed them to suffer this way is now at College of Health, Yamfo, as the acting Principal.

3. From a list of schools affiliated to the University of Cape Coast, College of Health-Yamfo is not part, yet the school authorities keep telling students the institution is fully affiliated to the University of Cape Coast. Moreover, this information is even written at College of Health-Yamfo official website.

4. Information shared by one of the school authorities is that the University of Cape Coast has temporary revoked their mentorship for the College of Health, Yamfo, due to the fact that the College does not have National Accreditation Board’s certification. This was an instruction from NAB to UCC.

5. Students upon hearing the sad story decided to write petition to appropriate stake holders including the Ministry of Health. However, the school authorities were strictly against that move. The reason for this was something the students did not know.

6. Knowing well that accreditation is not retrospective, what it means is that at the end of the four years’ study, students would have no certificate and they cannot proceed in the academic ladder or work in the profession which they hoped for.

7. Students who have decided to take this matter on have been tagged and being victimized by some individuals in authority.

Their grievances are accumulating, and their story is very sad. Some parents are becoming agitated, and a lot more are hopeless. The public needs to share their sentiments, the life of over a hundred students are being jeopardized.

The government of Ghana and all other relevant stakeholders who have a role to play in this process should come on board as a matter of urgency else they are hitting streets and will be demonstrating massively this coming week.