An Open Letter to the Council of Provosts of Colleges of Health

An Open Letter to the Council of Provosts of Colleges of Health

Sirs,
WATCH YOUR BACKS: BACKLASH IS IMMINENT
It is my hope that this letter to you our revered leaders at the various Schools and Colleges of Health Tec

hnology across the country will not be misconstrued as an affront on your personalities but an effort to ensure that holistic health is preserved. As a graduate of one of the foremost school of Health Technology in Nigeria about 14 years ago, I have come to a conclusion that most of us are actually overrated.

The Health sector in the Nation is in a sorry state, not only because of the policy makers whose myopic views keep hampering development but also because our training institutions which are supposed to produce policy implementors have done more harm than good. In the past years all we have are government health institutions where few health workers are trained but today, private health institutions are springing up daily like unwanted boils.

Have these private schools of health added any quality to training of health workers? Well, you can be the judge! It is not uncommon today to have every town with its own School or College of Health Technology. In Ogun State alone, there are over ten private schools of health technology sprawling over the place.

Of all the courses being run by all these institutions, the most common programme being run is Environmental Health Technology/Technician/Assistant course. To them, it is so easy to get the accreditation of these courses. And to cap it all, in many of our schools, over a hundred students are admitted yearly.

Sincerely, that is not what really bothers me. What nags my mind daily is the admission criteria. It is really unfortunate that, Environmental Health programme has become a dumping ground for the dullards, incompetent and nincompoops. Anyone can come to study the programme as long as you can pay. This trend is not only in the Private schools but even entrenched in our Public Colleges and Schools of Health Technology. It is sad that many of these students cannot even speak or write a correct complete sentence in English language.

My fear Sirs, is that we are building an army of unemployable educated illiterates who unfortunately have found themselves in a fix. They seem to have wasted their years while on campus and are now disgruntled not only with their lives but also with the profession. You only need to visit a facebook page of EHOAN to feel the frustration.

Some years ago, I challenged a former Provost of College of Health Technology (who incidentally owns a private one today), on their admission process. He gave a flimsy excuse common among you, that government officials are give slots. But my argument have remained the same. It is simply because we have no standard.

My take Sirs. Set standards for admission and it should not be an all-comers affairs. Admit few and let these be the best of the best. WAHEB and EHORECON with EHOAN should synergize to ensure standard is maintained in the training of Environmental health practitioners in Nigeria. Reduce the number of students admitted yearly and ensure quality teaching.

You might be thinking your work is done as much as students graduate from your schools, but that is not the case. I sense an imminent backlash on you all and the institutions upon which you make your daily bread today. Watch your backs and so what is right before it is too late. Environmental Health profession is not for every Tom, Dick and Harry.

The health of one, is the health of all.


Femi Abolade, licensed EHO, Writer, author and public speaker
femibolade12@gmail.com
+234 8074275257