School of Social Work trains 145 students
The School of Social Work at Osu in Accra was established in 1945 to train students to become social workers who will devote themselves to the service of others to improve their lives and create a society where everyone will feel a sense of belonging.
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Formerly the School of Social Welfare, the school currently has about 400 students offering regular and sandwich programmes in criminology, sociology, psychology, social policy, child labour, among other subjects.
Speaking at a graduation ceremony for 145 regular and sandwich students who offered a two-year diploma in Accra at the weekend, the Principal of the school, Mr Daniel Nonah, said the graduates had been equipped with the necessary skills for social work practice with diverse groups to lead in the elimination of oppression and inequality.
The ceremony was on the theme: “Social protection: the role of the social worker.”
Challenges
Listing a number of challenges confronting the school, he said facilities in the school, including classrooms and hostels, were overstretched and crowded as a result of the large population of students, adding that the situation was not conducive for teaching and learning.
He said the school was also faced with inadequate computers and the lack of transport facilities to assist the students and tutors to undertake educational tours to learn more on the field.
Mr Nonah, therefore, appealed to the government to consider offering opportunities to the graduates to be employed at the Department of Social Welfare, as it was done for graduates of teacher and nursing training colleges.
He proposed that the school should be accredited by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) as a tertiary institution, adding, “We run a programme that is in line with the standards of tertiary level education.”
Mr Nonah said preparations were being made to have the school affiliated to the Social Work Department of the University of Ghana, indicating that a bill had been drafted for upgrading the school.
In response to the challenges, a representative from the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Mr Sampson Nii Trebi, assured the school of support from the GETFund.
