OPPOSITION Spokesperson for Education and Human Resources Development and MP for West Makira, Hon. Derick Manuari pleads with the Government to look into the situation now faced by nursing students at SINU who have missed out on the additional scholarships recently created to facilitate tertiary students continue their training in-country.
Mr. Manuari said, “Complaints received suggest that some of the requirements attached to these new scholarships appear unfavourable to ongoing and in-service students. This may have inadvertently resulted in the exclusion of more than 30 privately sponsored second and third year nursing students from the new awards”.
The Opposition MP said these are students that depend on parents and guardians to subsidise their costs, adding that while the policy intention to create the scholarships is genuine and timely, the roll out maybe far from being satisfactory.
“With the exclusion and current economic hardships, the prospects of these students continuing with their studies now looks doubtful,” he said.
Mr. Manuari also said, “The patient care role of nurses is integral part of our Covid 19 preparedness plans and surely these students already provide an ideal pool of properly trained personnel that can be tapped when needed. The fact that they are in school is already a plus as they can be prepared to the required levels for engagement in the event of a mass community outbreak of the virus.”
The West Makira MP further added, “Whatever really happened, the situation is truly regrettable and so I urge the Oversight committee and the ministries responsible for Health and Medical Services and Education to find ways to enable these students complete their studies”.
“This is a win-win situation for all and so the government must do not turn a blind eye to the concern,” said the Opposition spokesperson for Education and Human Resource Development.
SOURCE: OPPOSITION PRESS
