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Dr Prince Boamah Abrah, the acting Principal of the School of Social Work, Osu, has appealed to government through the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection to restore its students’ allowance as done for teachers and nurses.

He said the students’ allowances aided in buying learning materials and other important needs of the students to enhance learning.

Dr Abrah made the appeal at the 13th annual matriculation and 12th graduation ceremony of the School of Social Work, Osu, in Accra, on the theme ‘Caring for the Vulnerable: Social Workers Stand Up’.

Listing a number of challenges confronting the school, Dr Abrah said the school had been left out in terms of the development, in particular its physical structure.

“There is not enough space to admit more students and I am appealing to GETFund to complete the infrastructure they started building for the school at Madina,” he said.

He said the school also lacked computers, a library and transport facilities to assist the students and tutors to undertake educational tours to learn more about social work on the field.

Dr Abrah, therefore, appealed to the government to consider offering opportunities to the graduates to be employed at the Department of Social Welfare, as was done for graduates of teacher and nursing training colleges who gain employment in their mother department after completion.

The event was used to welcome 175 fresh students into the school and also graduated 143 students who have finished their various courses.
Forty-two of the graduates, representing 29.37 per cent, were males while 101, representing 70.63 per cent, were females.

With reference to the fresh students, 45, representing 25.71 per cent, were males while 130, representing 74.29 per cent, were females.

The Sandwich 2016/17, Regular 2016/17 and Diploma 2016/17 groups formed the graduates of the 13th annual matriculation and 12th graduation ceremony.

Ms Monica Owusu, Mr David Worlanyo Boafo and Ms Mavis Edem Klutse were adjudged overall best students for the Sandwich 2016/17 group, Regular 2016/17 group and Diploma 2016/17 group.

The School of Social Work, Osu, which was established in 1945 with a handful of students, had seven men and two women as its first products passing out in 1946. It trains students to provide social services in the welfare departments of the country.

The school currently has a population of 263 students, both male and female, and runs certificate and diploma in Social Work on regular and sandwich modules.