St. Denilson Kasana School of Nursing in Luweero district has been closed over poor hygiene and lack of qualified lecturers leaving more than 60 students stranded.
The school that was opened three months ago has been ordered to shut down and students sent back home by the district Education Officer Florence Bbosa in conjunction with the district health department. The school was training nursing assistants and enrolled nurses.
The Luweero Chief Administrative Officer Christopher Kyomya says that the school was operating in dilapidated structures that were on the verge of collapse and students were sleeping in unhygienic hostels which put them at risk of contracting diseases.
Kyomya adds that the nursing school was also sharing classrooms and toilets with Kasana Junior Primary School pupils, which was worsening the poor sanitation. He says that the administrators also lacked qualified staff and had not been cleared by either National Council for Higher Education or the ministry of education to operate in the area.
Kyomya says that the administrators have been ordered to close it until they get good buildings, qualified staff and proper registration.
The spokesperson and technical advisor for the school, Clarkson Ssekabira, admitted the issues raised by the district and promised to address them so that it re-opens. He, however, says that all the issues could have been solved without closing the school and described the action as ill motivated.
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Students, local leaders and parents also wanted the nursing school to remain open as the administrators address the queries because it is the only nursing school in the district.
Juma Mukasa, a parent says that the district should have considered helping the school to get the necessary facilities so that students can proceed with their studies rather than closing it. Mukasa says that he had paid over 600,000 shillings as tuition for his child but the school was closed in the middle of the semester with no refund.
Zenar Nasur, a councilor and secretary for education says though the grounds for the closure were clear, the administrators could have been given time to change the situation.
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Some of the students who preferred anonymity said that they were mislead to join the school noting that it is poorly facilitated and they want the district to force the administrators to refund their fees if they fail to meet standards and reopen it.
