Nursing students protest over relocation plans

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By Jomo Paul

Students protesting in front of the Guyana Nursing School. [iNews’ Photo]
[www.inewsguyana.com] – Students of the Georgetown Nursing School took to the streets on Friday, February 20 in front of the complex protesting what seems to be a decision to relocate the school.

The students are saying that plans to relocate them to the Kingston Annex from their current location in East Street are improbable given that the building in Kingston cannot accommodate the entire lot of students.

When iNews arrived at the East Street location, students were seen holding up placards protesting the decision to relocate them.

According to the students, the decision is “unfair” given that the complex in Kingston already facilitates another batch of students.

According to the Public Relations Officer for the student society, Taruna Mangar, the students were only made aware of the imminent plans sometime on Friday when they arrived for classes.

She said that they are still “formally unaware that the Ministry of Health has handed over the building to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) or the University of Guyana.”

The contractors working on the building adjacent to the nursing school. [iNews’ Photo]
She said that the student society officials went to the Ministry of Health where they were informed by Ministry officials that the building “was signed, sealed and handed over and we are unaware of that, in fact the faculty is unaware of that.”

They are saying that they are going to put us at Kingston, how can all of us 462 fit there along with whatever number they have their for the night classes? They don’t have a canteen, they don’t have a practical room and they do not have a library – how are we going to conduct research? How are we going to carry out whatever else activities – how are we going to eat?” questioned a very passionate Mangar during the interview with iNews.

Meanwhile, the president of the student society, Maylean Thomas told iNews that the students will be protesting until they get some positive word as it relates to where the students will be located.

Thomas lamented the fact that at present, contractors on site are disturbing classes and some students have exams as early as next month.

“Contractors protruding into the nursing assistants class – how are they going to focus? They have an exam in March,” she told iNews.

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