The Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources has secured financial clearance for the recruitment of 1,174 graduates of the Accra, Tamale and Ho schools of Hygiene as environmental officers by the Local Government Service.

The recruitment process, which commenced in June, is scheduled to end by the end of October 2020.

The 1,174 constitute the backlog of graduates who completed school between 2010 and 2019.

When they are employed, they will work in the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) in the country.

A statement issued by the ministry yesterday said: “A good number of them have already been issued with their appointment letters and subsequently posted to start work in the MMDAs as environmental health officers.”

Trainee allowance

On trainee allowance for students of hygiene schools, the statement said the ministry was in the process of resolving the matter, over which it had held a series of meetings with the Accra School of Hygiene.

“To this end, we want to assure the students that the Ministry of Finance is preparing to pay them; therefore, they are advised to go back and take their examinations,” it added.

It noted with concern the picketing by final-year students of the schools on the premises of the ministry in Accra last Monday.

“The point should be emphasised that, since its creation in 2017, the ministry has placed matters affecting the welfare of students and graduates of the three schools high on its agenda,” it said.

Infrastructure projects

The ministry said it had further undertaken some projects to improve teaching and learning in the schools.

It mentioned the construction of a hostel block with ancillary facilities at the school in Ho, the rehabilitation of dormitory blocks, the dining hall and kitchen at the Tamale School and the construction of a three-storey classroom block and offices in Accra.

The statement added that the ministry, under the Greater Accra Sustainable Sanitation and Livelihood Improvement Project (GASSLIP), was currently procuring a number of computers and laboratory equipment for the three schools of hygiene, after a needs assessment had been carried out.

“The ministry wishes to reiterate its commitment not only to resource the schools of hygiene but also seek the welfare of the students, graduates and the staff, as a result of our recognition of their contribution to environmental sanitation management in the country,” it noted.