On Monday, students from the University of Jos’ Faculty of Dental Science took to the streets to protest the delayed accreditation of their programs by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria.
The students attribute the root cause to the shortage of lecturers in the faculty.
Carrying placards with messages like “Unijos is careless over students’ future,” “We deserve better, merge Unijos Dental students,” and “Depression wan kill us, save us please,” the students marched to the university’s permanent site at the Naraguta campus.
Another placard read, “We are tired of paying school fees without progress,” reflecting the frustration of students who claim that no graduating set has been produced in the faculty’s nine years of existence.
The protesters demand that the university merge dental students with medical students (MBBS) to prevent further disruptions in their studies due to the delayed accreditation. An anonymous student from the protesting faculty expressed, “We are tired of the repetition of courses and non-standard teaching methods.”
According to the student, the lack of necessary faculty members is why their programs have not received accreditation, despite reassurances from the university management.
“The sets we have are up to seven. Dental surgery and dentistry students are under one faculty. The first set of dental students has spent nine years due to strikes, but they are in their sixth year. They have not taken a single dental course; they were supposed to have graduated by now, but they are at a standstill,” voiced one of the protesters.
However, in a recorded statement, Vice Chancellor Ishayo Tanko apologized to the students and acknowledged the university’s efforts to address the issue. “We understand the prolonged stay of dental students in the university. We apologize for this; we have informed you of the steps taken to resolve this.”
Tanko disclosed that the university’s management has been making frequent trips to Abuja to seek approval for more lecturers but has not yet received it. He assured that a meeting would be arranged with student leaders, the first dental college set, and the college’s management to ascertain a path forward.
“Today, the deputy provost and your dean met with some of your leaders to showcase the management’s actions and plans.
“The protest will not solve the issue. I have instructed the provost and the dean to organize a meeting with all first-year students to identify the challenges and find a solution.
“We have engaged with students and parents to pinpoint the problems and find solutions. Progress is being made in addressing these obstacles.
“I have been informed that this morning, the dean and deputy provost met with your president. We demonstrated the steps taken by the management to address the concerns of dental students,” Tanko stated.