The Health Assistants� Training School (HATS) at Seikwa has held its third matriculation ceremony for 147 fresh students to pursue a two-year training in health assistance.
The number comprised 46 males and 101 females and combined with the existing 130 second year students, consisting of 53 males and 77 females to make the total student population of the school 277.
Addressing the function at Seikwa in the Tain District of the Brong-Ahafo Region, Mr. Jones Samuel Tawiah, District Chief Executive (DCE) lamented it appeared the locals were not interested in the establishment of the school.
This, he observed, was because admission figures of the institution indicated higher number of students from outside the district, saying that defeated the purpose of locating the school in the town.
Mr. Tawiah bemoaned non-natives had dominated the student-population, but �we expected our own people to attend in their numbers as a solution to the shortage of health workers in the District�, he added.
The DCE, therefore, appealed to traditional authorities in the district to encourage their people to enroll at the school, and announced that from next academic year, the school would be upgraded to a diploma level.
Mr. Tawiah advised the students to eschew acts of indiscipline, saying without the greatest degree of discipline, no institution could make progress whilst no student could also achieve success.
He reminded the students it was the performance through self-discipline of the individual that determined the future success or otherwise of anybody, because �it is not where you are, but what you are that matters in life�.
Mr. Michael Yidana Mantamia, Principal of the School, reminded the matriculants of the need to study seriously to attain the expected results at the end of the two-year course, adding, �there is no short-cut in learning and also no substitute for hard work.�
He said the institution, with a staff strength of 49, 43 permanent and six casuals, commenced in October, 2011, and presented its first batch for the Licensing Examination organized by the Nurses and Midwifery Council in September 2013.
Mr. Mantamia expressed satisfaction that the school obtained results of 94.7 per cent success which was released three weeks ago, indicating the school had started well, and attributed that to the support and dedication of tutors who worked even without supervision.
The Principal conceded the results gave cause for joy, but posed a challenge for both students and staff of the school since that impressive performance by the pioneer students therefore required hard work to either maintain or move beyond that level of success.
Madam Cordelia Yeboah, Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the Brong-Ahafo Regional Health Directorate in Sunyani, who administered the matriculation oath, admonished the fresh students on the need to be professional when they go to the field.
She pointed out that the hallmarks of a successful health worker were the virtues of love, devotion, dedication and commitment for the benefit of humanity, and therefore appealed to the students to be guided by them.
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