Students from Colleges of Education affiliated to University of Education, Winneba, Are to go for STS amidst Vacation

Vacation has been a scheduled period during which school activities are suspended for learners to go home and have ‘rest’. During these periods, Learners who fend for themselves secure temporary jobs that gives them little income. Some accumulate these stipends and use it to pay for their fees and other expenditures when school resumes.

Typically, Majority of learners in colleges of Education are those who fend for themselves and sometimes, their siblings. It is during these periods that they work to get money to cater for themselves and their dependents, and as well save some for their fees.

One of the mentoring University, University of Education, Winneba, has mandated all colleges under her to call its Level 300 Learners who are currently on vacation and expecting to resume in September, to report back to campus for Six (6) Weeks on-campus teaching practices, at their various schools of visit from July to middle of August.

This has caused a lot of uproar among the learners, as majority are of the view that, the school is indirectly depriving them of their daily bread which may end them not to be able to settle their outstanding bills if school resumes.

Majority of the learners, knowing fully well it’s a long vacation, have travelled to their villages and homelands. They may have to spend huge sums of money in transportation to their colleges just to spend some few weeks. Notwithstanding, It’s also a raining season and plying the road is risky.

Some Colleges might end up instructing their leaners to seek for their own accommodations for the duration due to the accommodation deficit at the colleges. Truth be told, no landlord or landlady will be willing to give out his or her apartment to these learners for just six (6) weeks rent. Even if it’s possible, majority of them cannot afford.

The situation is even worse, as learners would have to provide their own food to feed themselves within this period.

These individuals are calling on the appropriate Quarters, if possible to review this policy. Some are also advocating they should be allowed to have the observation at their various communities of residence.

This, they believe will help resolve the accommodation, feeding and the transportations issues.

However, The STS Coordinator, ITECPD, UEW, Reverend Samuel Affran opines that, these learners are spending three and half months during this vacation, and while at home, it will be quite fitting since the programme is ‘residential’. He further stated that, the continuous nature of the programme will make it quite difficult for them to combine with other taught courses for the semester.