Vocational schools warned against over-enrollment

Healthcare training institutions have been advised not to exceed their recommended enrolment capacities so as to produce quality graduates.

Simon Eduku, a principal education officer in charge of vocational training in the education ministry on Saturday said the uniqueness of the healthcare profession requires well trained workers who have undergone quality training because they handle people's lives.

Eduku made the remarks at the Nakaseke based ACCESS School of Nursing and Midwifery where he presided over a graduation ceremony for 55 nurses and midwives.

The graduands who sat for their final exams in July, included 35 certificate nurses and 19 midwives.

Maria Nalunkuuma and Veronica Namirimu received special recognition for topping the midwifery class while Bena Nakayiza and Sarah Nankabirwa were the best in the certificate nursing class.

Eduku who represented the commissioner for BTVET in the education ministry, Hajat Safina Musenne, noted that some healthcare training institutions in the country were enrolling as many students as possible regardless of their capacities. He said the trend is not healthy for the healthcare profession.

"Healthcare practitioners need to be people who have been properly trained in order to handle lives because human lives are very important," Eduku said.

He was responding to an earlier remark by the institution founder, Robert Kalyesubula, that the number of students was still small because parents in the community could not afford tuition fees.

Kalyesubula said there were plans by the administration to turn the institution into a university.

The director of the school, Estherloy Katali said the school said the graduands had been given a holistic training in patient management.

She said the graduands had been trained to understand the problems of the community in relation to the possible causes of the different illnesses that they have been skilled to treat and manage.

The principal of the school, Peter Serbombwe, said the school which currently has a total of 216 students had signed memorandums of understanding with Nakaseke Hospital, Masaka Hospital and the Luwero district administration.