Nearly a year after a fire destroyed five rooms of the girls’ dormitory at the Zuarungu Nursing and Midwifery Training College (ZNMTC), the facility remains unrepaired, leaving about 120 female students facing accommodation uncertainty as the college prepares to reopen at the end of next month.
The dormitory is the college’s only on-campus residential facility dedicated to female students.
The fire, which occurred on September 29, 2025, destroyed mattresses, books, uniforms, learning materials and other belongings of the affected students. Personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service contained the blaze and prevented it from spreading to other parts of the facility.
However, the damaged section has remained unrepaired.
Sources familiar with efforts to rehabilitate the facility say more than GH¢200,000 has been raised through donations and other support, but the amount is insufficient to undertake the reconstruction.
The Bolgatanga East District Assembly has estimated that about GH¢1.2 million would be required to reconstruct the damaged section, excluding furnishing.
A separate assessment by Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL), reportedly undertaken at the direction of Upper East Regional Minister Donatus Akamugri Atanga, estimated the cost at about GH¢1.6 million, including beds and other essential furnishings.
Sources say Mr. Akamugri, in collaboration with education authorities, has submitted the rehabilitation proposal for consideration under the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) in an effort to secure funding for the reconstruction.
There is, however, no official timeline for the approval of GETFund support or the commencement of reconstruction work.
The uncertainty comes as the college prepares for the return of students, raising concerns over accommodation for the affected female students.
Meanwhile, the college is using its Internally Generated Funds (IGF) to finance the construction of a multipurpose storey building aimed at expanding its infrastructure. Sources say the project has placed additional pressure on the institution’s finances, limiting its ability to independently fund the reconstruction of the dormitory.
With the reopening of the college approaching, the affected students and school authorities are awaiting intervention to restore the college’s only dedicated on-campus accommodation facility for female students.
A1 Radio | 101.1 MHz | Moses Apiah | Bolgatanga
