100-level medical students, parents protest in Unilag

English: UNILAG, Lagos. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Medical students in 100 level at the University of Lagos and their parents on Wednesday disrupted academic and business activities in the institution.
The protesters, who shut the university’s main gate, accused the university authorities of denying them promotion to 200-level.
According to them, the authorities introduced some new academic rules that have denied many of them from proceeding to the university’s College of Medicine, Idi-Araba to continue their programme.
The protesters also argued that the new scheme was to allow the authorities to admit diploma students to the faculty. The protesters alleged that the diploma students paid handsomely for the offer.

However the authorities said the professional bodies regulating the study of medical programmes in the country, introduced a fresh index system to regulate the quota allocated to individual university.
The UNILAG Head, Information Unit, Mr. Toyin Adebule, made this known in a statement on Wednesday night.
According to him, UNILAG authorities will not want to flout such directive, as those admitted outside the quota will not be allowed to practice after graduation.
The statement read in part, “This year, the professional bodies have insisted on the enforcement of the quota upon which accreditation is hinged and hence the college has had to conform. What this means is that only students that are indexed will be registered by the professional bodies to practice after graduation.
“Senate at its meeting held on Wednesday, 27th January, 2016 had approved the implementation of the re-arrangement to conform to the professional bodies’ quota in order not to lose accreditation. This has regrettably meant that we have only been able to receive students into the college only up to the number the College of Medicine is allowed by the quota.
“We recognise and regret that this has led to some students being unable to cross over into the College of Medicine or their course of choice. Consequently, all candidates who were not successful to be placed in programmes in CMUL have been allocated to appropriate programmes on the main campus in Akoka.”