Parents of the University of Uyo (UNIUYO) Dentistry students have taken to the streets to protest what they consider an anomaly in their wards’ education.
Acting under the aegis of the Forum of Parents of Dental Students, they stormed the streets today armed with placards with inscriptions such as
on Friday protested the non-accreditation of the programme since its inception in 2021.
The protesters displayed placards with inscriptions such as “Save the future of UniUyo Dental Students now”, “We reject unnecessary prolongation of studies for our children,” “Do not normalise extra years for professional students”, amongst others.
Stating the reason for their agitation, Chairman of the Forum, Sunday Elijah told journalists at a press said their protest had become inevitable and urgent to save the future and education of Dentistry students of the university.
Speaking through Otuekong Vincent Udoh, he lamented that the school was admitting more students than the carrying capacity of the department.
He said although UNIUYO did not have an approved quota nor requisite facilities for the department, but it was admitting as 40 or more at 100 and 200
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According to him, “It is deeply concerning that a school without an approved quota for dentistry is admitting as many as 40 or more students at 100 and 200 levels respectively, while other institutions with the requisite facilities and accommodation adhere strictly to their approved quotas, sometimes admitting as few as 10 students per class.
“This disparity raises serious concern about compliance and training capacity,” he said.
Observing that the prevailing situation was likely to affect the projections and plans of the students, he added:
“These students have invested years of disciplined academic effort with the expectations of becoming qualified dental surgeons who will contribute meaningfully to the healthcare system of our nation.
“They have duly paid their acceptance fees, medical levies and school fees consistently for each academic session.
Calling for initiation of a facility visit to the school by relevant bodies like the
Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria for an advisory visit, he said this should be minimum standard for a school desiring accreditation of its programmes.
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“Ideally, accreditation should have been secured before the admission of students into the programme.
“However, the university is only now making attempts to procure limited equipment, which are insufficient in relation to the current student population per class and do not meet established accreditation standards.
“In view of this, there is an urgent need to implement immediate alternative measures to safeguard students already in the clinical phase, while the University works toward establishing a compliant and sustainable foundation for the programme.
“After careful evaluation of these options, we strongly believe that the internal merger represents the most immediate, practical, and feasible solution, particularly for students in Year 5, Year 4 and Year 3, based on the following reasons: first, the quota for the MBBS programme at the University has not been exceeded for these classes, meaning that accommodating these students is feasible.
“For example, the total number of students in the Year 5 class is 87 (65 medical students and 22 dental students), while the approved quota for Medicine is 150 students.
“Second, the students in these classes have already undergone the same foundational medical training as their MBBS counterparts. They attended the same lectures and have successfully sat for the Part 1 and Part II Bachelor of Medicine (MB) examination in their 300 Level and 400 Level respectively alongside their medical counterparts.
“They have also participated in the same clinical postings in Medicine and Surgery, and are currently at the same level of academic and clinical progression. This makes the integration into the MBBS programme both reasonable and academically justified,” he said.
He also made 2 critical appeals:
- the immediate merger of Years 5, 4 and even 3 Dental students into the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery programme, which has already secured accreditation,
- For the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to show clemency and hold the University of Uyo management accountable without subjecting innocent students to further hardship arising from circumstances beyond their control.
While admitting the challenge facing Dentistry students, Acting Vice-Chancellor of Professor Samuel Odewumi said:
“If there is anything I have been concerned about since I came into office, it’s the issue of accreditation.
“We have done everything as an institution that needed to be done, including the award of contracts and a lot more”, he stated.
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