Zuarungu — The Principal of the Zuarungu Nursing and Midwifery Training College (ZNMTC), Mr Michael Yidana Mantamia, has cautioned students to be focused in their academic work and explore all opportunities to develop themselves socially and culturally.
He said the institution under his stewardship had embraced cultural diversity, and students were obligated to respect one another's cultural and social beliefs, including their idiosyncrasies.
The Principal was addressing matriculants at the school's 17th matriculation ceremony held at Zuarungu in the Upper East Region here on Saturday.
The 306 matriculants-made up of 217 females and 89 males-were admitted to three programmes: the Nurse Assistant Clinical (NAC), Post Nurse Assistant Preventive and Clinical (Post NAC/NAP) Midwifery and Registered General Nursing (RGN).
He said the school was committed to excellent academic work, and challenged the newly admitted students to take their academic work seriously to help maintain the status quo.
According to him, the ZNMTC was building a bigger brand for itself as regards to its sterling academic progress, and any act by any student to comprise that would not be countenanced.
Mr Mantamia touted the infrastructure development of the institution, saying the school which commenced with only a classroom in 2006, could now boast of an edifice six classroom-block and 10 offices for staff.
Also, he added, the college had two befitting hostels that could accommodate about 300 students; two skills laboratories-fitted with state of the art equipment for learning and a library, among other infrastructure projects.
He acknowledged successive governments' unwavering support toward the development of the college, but was quick to indicate the school was overwhelmed with students and staff accommodation deficit following growing student population which currently stood at 722.
The Principal said, through his visionary leadership, he had been able to manage the Internally Generated Fund (IGF) judiciously to undertake some developmental projects.
He however, called on government and its development partners, such as philanthropists, non-governmental organisations, among others, to rise to the aid of the school, to enable it to surmount the monstrous challenges.
"We call on indigenes of Zuarungu, Bolgatanga and Upper East, as well as NGOs, to come to our aid. Come to our aid because we have shown that we can grow ourselves, we have on our own started to crawl, kindly support us stand and walk," the Principal pleaded.
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Mr Mantamia told the occasion, attended by traditional leaders, politicians, parents and guardians, and other illustrious stakeholders that, the school was raising funds to construct an ultra-modern library complex, ICT laboratory and a skills laboratory, and urged all development partners to endeavour to help shoulder the responsibility in that regard.
The college received about 1,200 applications in the 2022/2023 academic year, but management selected only 306 students after the final selection interview.
This, the Principal noted, was attributed to the limited classroom and hostel facilities, and charged all stakeholders to give the expansion of infrastructural projects drive of the college some priority attention.
