Students take college to task over missing certificates

MERALI CHAWE in Mbeya

MORE than 100 graduates at St Aggrey College of Health Science have raised concern over the institute’s failure to return their original National Form Four certificates claiming that they are required by the Ministry of Health for verification.

The former president of the college’s student government, Mr Noel Mng’ong’o, revealed yesterday when highlighting challenges they are facing when looking for employment in government and private sector, saying failure to produce original Form Four certificates was making them lose opportunities.

He said in 2015, 112 students joined the college to attend a one-year Community Health Course, however, he said the college administration asked them to submit their original Form Four certificates to be submitted to the Ministry of Health for verification and determine whether they were qualified.

He said that since they submitted the original certificates in November 2015 to date, they have not received their certificates back and there is no explanation from the administration, “Head of the College, Mr Rex Mwakipiti told us, they have made follow ups to the Ministry and they were told that they have never received any original certificates from St Aggrey College of Health Science” he said.

Mr Mng’ong’o said the Head told them the Ministry of Health is claiming that there is no any document to show that the college previously submitted the original certificates for verification.

One of the graduates, Ms Aneth Amos said the first thing which was strange to them was for them to submit original certificates for verification instead of copies, adding that according to her experience, original certificates are needed during face to face interviews, “they took our original certificates and we do not know what is our fate” she noted.

She added that they were supposed to graduate in 2016, but due to NACTE penalty to the college, they were forced to finish the course this year and graduate, “but what pains us much is that, we did not complete our studies at the right time due to college problems, and now again the college cause us to miss job opportunities” she said.

When contacted for comment, the Head of the College, Mr Mwakipiti told the reporter over the phone that he was in a meeting and he had nothing to say.