Masaka school of nursing renews demand for govt approval of degree programme 

State Minister in charge of Primary Education cutting cake during the Masaka School of Comprehensive Nursing and Midwifery graduation  ceremony March 31, 2023. PHOTO/MALIK FAHAD JJINGO.jpg

The management of Masaka School of Comprehensive Nursing and Midwifery has renewed its demand to get accreditation to start offering bachelor’s degree programme in nursing.
 While presenting her report at the 7th graduation ceremony of the institution on Friday, the school principal, Ms Nausindo Kekurina said they need approval to start teaching nursing bachelors.
She said the school is strategically located in Masaka City in central Uganda and there is no other public health training institution between Kampala to Mbarara which offers bachelor’s degrees in nursing training thus making it hard for people in Masaka Sub-region to access such high level training in nursing education.

“We believe that since the country is in advanced stages of phasing out diploma comprehensive nursing come 2025, this is the right time the school is cleared to start offering bachelor’s degrees in nursing,” Ms Kekurina said.
A total of 481 students obtained their certificates in various disciplines, of which 118 received diplomas in midwifery, diploma in compressive nursing (224) and the rest (139) were pursuing a diploma in nursing.
The principal said the school has taken some time without graduating health workers saying they last held graduation ceremony on May 3, 2019 and this was due to Covid-19 lockdown that affected most of the activities. 

The chairperson of board of Governors, Dr Stuart Musisi said the school is ready to start offering a bachelor’s degree in nursing, arguing that they have already secured affiliation with Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST).
“We have developed a structural and site plan which the minister has launched and we are on track to improve the safety of the students by  putting up a fence around  the school and we are happy that the gate has been completed , we now ask the ministry to support us to improve  staff and students accommodation,” he added.
Dr Safinah Musene, the commissioner in charge of health training at the Ministry of Education lauded the school for reportedly producing good quality health workers. 
 “I ask you, the fresh graduates, to change this narrative while in the field,” she added.
Dr Joyce Moriku Kaducu, the state minister for primary education asked the graduates to serve the nation with excellence and integrity.
 “I have taken note of the challenges raised by the principal and chairperson governing council including those pertaining transport for the school, accommodation and teaching space. I want to assure you that we shall prioritize these challenges and provide solutions to them one at a time,”she said. 

Masaka School of Comprehensive Nursing is a government founded health training institution located in Katwe –Butego , a Masaka City suburb and adjacent Masaka Regional Referral Hospital . It was established in 1946 to train dressers for X men who were cleaning   dressers. In 1966, it started training certificate nurses on enrollment level, but closed due to some unavoidable circumstances .It later reopened to teach certificate in comprehensive nursing. Currently, the school trains diploma in comprehensive nursing both direct and extension, diploma in midwifery and general nursing.