COVID-19 keeps prospective interns home
Posted on July 13, 2020
Ms Doris Pokua Obeng, a Social Change Communication undergraduate, has longed for an opportunity to undertake industrial attachment to experience life at a real work place and also to improve her curriculum vitae to enhance her chances of landing a job after school.
Ms Pokua, a level 300 student of the
University for Development Studies (UDS), Nyankpala Campus, therefore, was
fully prepared to live her dreams during the University’s May to July students’
internship window, when she would be placed at an organisation in Sunyani for
her internship.
However, the unexpected happened when the country recorded its first
two cases of COVID-19 on March 12, forcing President Nana Akufo-Addo to
announce directives including; closure of schools and a partial lockdown in a
bid to contain the disease in the country.
Most corporate organisations in the country followed it up with staff rotations as
well as staff working from home to reduce the number of employees at offices to
help reduce the spread of the disease.
This measure came as a blow to many students, who were billed to go for
internship across the country, as most organisations were not ready to accept
them in this era of COVID-19.
So far, the country’s COVID-19 case count has surpassed 14,000 out of which
over 10,400 have recovered and 85 have died.
Ms Pokua recounted, “I am in the house doing nothing and it is very boring. In view of
fear of getting infected with the disease, I’m just in the house. I don’t go
anywhere. I’m not happy with it.”
She said it would be unfair if she did not do the attachment, saying “I wish we
will have another opportunity to do it, because it is important for us. We need
to be trained. We need to experience life at the work place before completing
school.”
She said much as it was discomforting for her to be home now, it was equally
important to stay home because “Our health is also important, we need to
observe the safety protocols.”
Bright Vokawol, also a level 300 student at UDS, Nyankpala Campus, pursuing
Social Change Communication, who was to undertake his internship at an
organisation in Bolgatanga, said he was feeling bored in the house and
therefore, had engaged in some activities to keep him busy.
He appealed to the government to do something about the situation to ensure
that students undertook their internship, which would have a great impact on
their lives.
We understand that organisations are supposed to award marks to interns
based on their performance during internship, and interns are also required to
make presentations back at school about their experiences during the
internship, all of which attract marks to grade them.
It is, therefore, unclear how the students will be graded since the internship
did not happen.
Mr Shaibu Abdul-Fatawu, Student Internship Coordinator, Department of
Communication, Innovation and Technology at the UDS, Nyankpala Campus told the news team that no definite decision was taken on how to assess or grade the
students in relation to the fact that they did not undertake the internship.
Mr Abdul-Fatawu said about 200 students from the Department were supposed to be
on internship from May to July, expressing hope that if organisations put in
place internal safety protocols that would be observed by all, they should be
able to accept the students to undertake their internships.
Mr Peter Mintir Amadu, Psychologist and Executive Director of Total Life
Enhancement Centre, Ghana said the students needed to find appropriate ways to
cope with the anxiety, stress and uncertainty that they were going through in
the house.
He suggested that they should develop daily plan of activities such as trying
their hands at new things and linking up socially with friends to help deal
with their worries and avoid being idle.
By Albert Futukpor