Apparently, the woes of our country’s educational atmosphere does not seem to be ending soon, even before as a people we our nation are yet to finds a place for our feet to come squarely tackle issues of corruption and sexual abuse at different levels of our educational structure a somewhat déjà vu trick has resurfaced.
A few years after the ‘sex for grades’, brouhaha died down, we are hit by yet another humiliation which we must collectively as a nation to deal with; and unfortunately this time around it appears to unearth the roots of rampant cases of medical negligence, incompetence amongst health officials and quack questionable health physicians flooding all corners of our nation, and our healthcare establishments.
It is an undeniable fact that our health sector does not only require infrastructural expansion but it also needs qualified individuals to take good professional care of the Ghanaian populace to boost economic growth; for health is wealth.
However, with the perpetual rising cases of medical malpractices, negligence on the part of nurses, doctors, physician assistants; among others it calls for worry if the training and graduation these ‘live- saving’ professionals is characterized by ‘cooked’ and false academic grades. And it is sad to note that the latter is purportedly facilitated by officials of a renowned West African examination body.
The genesis of it all is when the unsuspecting public are enticed with very flexible admission requirements into certain private tertiary schools and colleges which include some nursing training institutions. Senior high students and their parents are told that that could gain admission with even the worse WASSCE grades and they would be given the opportunity to improve their grades in-between the period of their nursing course.
And now, upon reaching the final academic year students are faced with ineligibility to register for their nursing licensure examination; and then another mouthwatering alternative is offered them – ‘cash for grades. This is where the college administrators and supposed WAEC officials connive to sell genuine grades of students to their ‘student-clients’ who have similar names, and then advice that they swear an affidavit to cover it up.
According to a reliable source at Neuman College of Nursing in Kumasi, all of this shady procedures for grades are offered at a fee of not less than GHc3,000.00.
With this corrupt culture brewing in our academic institutions, with the participation of our young learners and their parents Ghana and its citizenry must not only be worried about the crop of professionals we are putting out there on the job market but should also bow their heads down in shame. Nonetheless, remedial steps ought to be taken immediately to save the already scary situation.
Miss Linda Asamoah, Accra.
