By Our Reporter
Dozens of dental students at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) protested on Wednesday, blocking the university’s Permanent site gate to demand accreditation of their dental courses. They have spent over ten years in school without graduating due to the non-accreditation of their program.
The students carried placards with messages such as “Save us from unending depression,” “Our future is on hold,” “Accredit us now,” and “We are tired of UNIJOS,” while singing solidarity songs.
Mr. Johnson Titus, President of the Jos University Dental Students Association, voiced the students’ frustration, stating, “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.”
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He placed part of the blame on the university itself: “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 deep frustration with the university’s handling of the situation: “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.”
Attempts to get a comment from the Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Chris Piwuna, were unsuccessful. However, a source close to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Tanko Ishaya, spoke anonymously, affirming that the university is taking steps to resolve the issue.
The source said, “I don’t know why the students chose this day to protest because the university management is doing something to address their issue. I know their matter has lingered, but as I’m talking with you, the university has opened bidding for N800 million capital projects, including the purchase of their equipment. The bid was opened just last week. On the issue of accreditation, just last week, the Provost and senior people in the faculty met with the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria to get a date for the accreditation of their programme. What else do they want?”
Despite ongoing efforts by the university, the protesting students remain firm. They have vowed not to vacate the university gate until their demands for accreditation and clarity on their academic future are met.
