Nursing students petition minister over lectures, food

EASTERN PROVINCE NYAGATARE — Students of Nyagatare School of Nursing and midwifery have petitioned the minister of Health Jean Damascene Ntawukuliryayo over power disconnection which has led lecturers to abandon classes. Sources say lecturers laid down their tools since the beginning of the semester. The students have reportedly been complaining over the issue but the school authorities have failed to address it, but the director denies this. The school authorities have been giving us empty promises that they are going to fix it but now it has taken over a period of two months and nothing has been done. So that’s why we petitioned the minister of Health to intervene, one of the students said. In their petition, dated February 19, copied to the district mayor, Robert Kashemeza, and the Nyagatare sector executive secretary, the students allege that the school has failed to address the issue; they need superior authorities to intervene. They also complain that they are being treated like secondary school students, yet they have to enjoy the same privileges like other tertiary institution students, on government sponsorship. We just eat posho and beans; there is no difference between us and secondary school students. We don’t understand why they treat us that way, another student said. The New Times established that the power bills had accumulated to a level which is reportedly intolerable to the power supply utility company-Electrogaz, about Frw1m- which compelled them to disconnect the power. Ignatius Ahimbisibwe, the director, said that the students’ complaints are genuine but blamed them for petitioning the minister. It’s not the school authorities who have failed to deliver but our funders have not released the money. I have reported the issue to the Ministry of Health on several occasions and at the moment they are working on it, he said adding, the students just need to give us time it will soon be solved. He said the school had paid some money to Electrogaz to get reconnected and some lecturers have resumed teaching. On feeding, Ahimbisibwe dismissed their claims and instead said students are enjoying the same privileges like other students in the country.Ends