In the spirit of Ghana’s Independence, I write this with hope — hoping someone in leadership will truly listen.
First, we want to say thank you.
Thank you for subsidising our school fees.
Thank you for paying part of our allowance arrears.
And thank you for the MahamaCares initiative, which introduces specialization programs to help reduce unemployment after training.
We are grateful.
But Mr. President, there is something happening in nursing training colleges across Ghana that the public rarely sees.
And it is deeply concerning.
The only time nurses make headlines is when there is a clinical mishap or when nurses are protesting delayed salaries or allowances. This creates a poor image of the profession.
But the real problem starts from the training colleges themselves.
Many nursing schools are overcrowded and under-resourced.
It is normal to find 250–300 students in one lecture hall with limited chairs and space. Some students struggle just to find a place to sit and learn.
Hostel conditions are equally troubling.
Many hostels need urgent renovation. Bed stands are broken, bathrooms are too few for the number of students, and running water is not reliable.
In fact, some students fetch water from nearby homes and pay townspeople just to get water to bathe or wash.
Electricity in hostels is also unreliable — even outside of national power outages.
Our SRC leaders try their best to advocate for us, but many students feel their voices are not fully independent, and expressing concerns can sometimes lead to backlash from management.
Academically, our lecturers are doing their best. They teach with dedication and support us.
But outside lectures, there are no debate clubs, no academic competitions, no mentorship seminars, no platforms to challenge our thinking.
Meanwhile, our colleagues in universities benefit from exposure, mentorship, and opportunities that help shape their careers.
Mr. President, we also appeal for a review of the fee structure.
Many continuing students pay close to GHS 4,000 every semester.
At the same time, some meals provided in school are extremely basic. Imagine having porridge without sugar or bread for breakfast — and you must provide your own if you have it.
Lunch may sometimes be a ladle of rice with little or no protein.
Students training to care for the health of an entire nation should not feel like they are surviving a system instead of being trained by it.
If nurses pass through such a harsh system, how will our empathy and strength be nurtured to care for patients?
We want to be great.
We want to serve Ghana with excellence.
We want to erase the negative perceptions about nurses.
But the system that trains us must also care for us.
Mr. President, we humbly ask for urgent attention to:
- Expansion of infrastructure in nursing training colleges
- Renovation of hostel facilities
- Reliable water and electricity supply
- Fair review of the fee structure
- Independent and empowered SRC bodies
- Academic mentorship and enrichment programs
We are not complaining.
We are asking to be trained in conditions worthy of the profession we are preparing to serve in.
Mr. President, please hear the cry of your future nurses.
Because the future of Ghana’s healthcare system is sitting today in overcrowded classrooms.
A concerned nursing trainee.
#FixNursingTraining
#FutureNursesMatter
#HealthcareStartsHere
#GhanaHealthcare
By: Anonymous Writer