USAG jumps to the defense of privately-trained nurses

Leadership of the University Students Association of Ghana (USAG) has lamented as “discriminatory, selective and intimidating” a decision by government not to absorb nurses trained at private colleges.

According to USAG, the decision is a threat to national security.

These observations were made in a statement released on Friday, May 25.

Some unemployed nurses had complained in the recent past that government had neglected them because they were trained at private institutes.

The solidarity statement by USAG said so far as these professionals are Ghanaians and their parents pay taxes, they should be posted like those trained at state institutes.

Read the statement below:

USAG ON GOVERNMENT'S DECISION TO DENY IT'S CONSTITUENTS READING "NURSING" IN PRIVATE UNIVERSITIES EMPLOYMENT.

The unshared attention of the Leadership of the University Students' Association of Ghana (USAG) has been drawn to a Government's decision to officially deny students reading "NURSING" in PrivateUniversities employment opportunities in the State Owned Medical Outfits.

We at USAG, which is an official mouthpiece of all universities, both Traditional(government) and Private, see this decision of the government as clearly discriminatory, selective and intimidating to Ghanaian students reading "NURSING" in Private Universities in their motherland Ghana.

We, therefore, appeal to the government to willingly reconsider this decision, since its rippling ramifications can be a direct threat to national security.

We are humbly pleading with the government to officially review this perilous posture with total expedition because of the following reasons;

• Private University Students are also Ghanaians either by birth, marriage or documented adoption.



• The authorities and owners of Private Universities contribute to the development of Ghana by paying off 25% Corporate Tax annually.



• The Parents of Private University Students willingly pay various taxes, which adds up to the development index of Ghana.



• Private University Students pay various taxes directly and indirectly to the Ghanaian government.



• Nursing students in Private Universities are also of the same quality and value as those in Traditional Universities, because the lecturers that train those in the Government Universities are the same lecturers who teach at Private Universities and the same accreditations board grants accreditation to all of them; be it private or public..
• This unfortunate decision will not only hinder national development but will cause a huge brain-drain and Ghana will have no moral right to speak against it since the people involved will not be seeking greener pasture abroad but pasture, since there is no pasture for them in Ghana.

For these reasons, we will not and can never accept this outlandish segregation levelled against nursing students who are trained in Private Universities.

As a country, we believe "Education is the key to national development," so why are we treating the educated as a threat to the development of the Ghanaian community.

Finally, we want to accentuate that, the National Cake of Ghana, is constitutionally for all Ghanaians, and any spell of selectiveness, segregation and discrimination will not be accepted, hence we call on the government to redress this injustice, inequality and outright disrespect for the Constitution of Ghana, which also determines their election and appointments to lead this country.

University Education; A Key To National Development

God bless USAG! God bless our homeland Ghana!!

...Signed.....