A Nairobi-based nursing school that takes part in organising airlifts to its students overseas yesterday defended itself against attacks by bloggers who claim the institution is taking advantage of learners’ desperation for jobs to fleece them.

Westwick College in Gigiri through its board of directors protested against attacks by certain bloggers whom they accused of mudslinging and bringing into disrepute the name of the college and its leadership.

Dispute resolution

“The institution has an open-door policy and a transparent dispute resolution plans for both students and staff and its channels for hearing and resolving any grievances within their jurisdiction are open and fully functional,” the college leadership said in a statement.

The college now wants all its current and former students to reach out to the leadership with any concerns they have that affect their lives, be they financial or administrative.  It has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with outside parties to allow facilitation, at request by its students to benefit from its network of employers locally and abroad. “As much as we wish we could, we unfortunately aren’t able to control or determine the outcomes of travel and immigration processes. We therefore regret any travel delays if any,” the statement read in part.

The institution reiterated that it is legally registered in Kenya and in the UK. The process of accreditation requires an institution to be fully operational prior to any approvals or inspection.

However, the college obtained a letter of no objection from Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVETs), and have since undergone a site visit awaiting accreditation.