UNIJOS Dental Students Protest Non-Accreditation Of Courses, 10 Years Without Graduation
Dozens of University of Jos dental students on Wednesday, took to the streets to protest the non-accreditation of their courses, which has resulted in them spending over ten years in school without graduating.
The students blocked the university gte at its Permanent site, singing solidarity songs and carrying placards with different inscriptions which read, “Save us from unending depression,” “Our future is on hold,” “Accredit us now,” and “We are tired of UNIJOS,” among others.
Speaking on behalf of the students, the President of the Jos University Dental Students Association, Mr Johnson Titus, demanded that the management address their plight and provide a solution to their predicament.
“What you see behind me is the frustration of dental students who have been in the university for the past ten years without graduating. We have been stagnating because of the non-accreditation of our programme.
“The students are calling on the university management and relevant authorities to come forth and address their issues, which include getting a date for accreditation and resolving the curriculum problems,” Titus said
The student leader who blamed the university for their plight added, “Nobody should blame us because if the university is going to do screening and admission, they don’t usually inform students that there is no accreditation for the affected programme.
“The University of Jos did not inform anyone that there is no accreditation for the dental courses, for which they admitted us. If we had known, we probably wouldn’t have applied for the course.
“And also, if the university knew that there is no accreditation, why would they put Dentistry on their website for students to apply for admission. We feel the university is still at fault for the situation we have found ourselves.”
Another student, Nwike Pius, expressed frustration over the university’s lack of sincerity in handling the matter, saying, “The school has not been sincere with us because we hear a different story from them, and when we confirm, we hear a different story from the Council.
“The students have tried to reach out to the Vice Chancellor, but their efforts have been met with silence.”
Olamilekan Adigun is a graduate of Mass Communication with years of experience in journalism embedded in uncovering human interest stories. He also prioritises accuracy and factual reportage of issues.
