Tensions are beginning to rise inside the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Cross Rivers State, with students in the Faculty of Dentistry and Dental Surgery threatening to disrupt academic activities after they were informed that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has allegedly cut down the approved admission quota for the school.
The students were informed by the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, that the admission quota approved for the institution is 10, an announcement that has since resulted in a face-off between the school management and students who have been affected by the new development.
During a visit to the institution on Friday by our correspondent, the students were seen demanding that the school management immediately address the issue to avoid any breakdown of law and order within the school premises.
The students’ grievances were that the years they had already wasted studying the course, as well as the declaration by the VC that the quota for the school had been filled, and asking the affected students to either buy a change of course form or forfeit their admissions.
It was gathered that Obi announced the decision to the students yesterday during a meeting held inside the College meeting hall, an information that did not go down well with the students who dismissed any option of forfeiting their admissions and the years already sacrificed to studying the course in the institution.
“The MDCN quota for Dentistry in UNICAL is less than 15, but the university reportedly admitted over 300 students,” a source at the meeting revealed.
As gathered, the VC informed the students all activities in the Faculty of Dentistry are suspended until the over-admission issue is resolved.
Affected students, some of whom are in their fourth and fifth years of study, say they were recently issued letters summoning them for a meeting regarding what school authorities described as “non-regular” admissions.
The controversy stems from claims that the university admitted more students than the number officially accredited by the MDCN. This move could render the affected students ineligible for licensing and professional practice.
An official invitation letter, seen by The Guild from one of the invited students, to a scheduled meeting with faculty authorities.
Although the letter stops short of explicitly stating expulsion, students interpret it as a precursor to being dropped from the program.
Speaking under conditions of animosity, an affected student said, “This is our fourth year in this program. We’ve paid fees, done clinicals, passed courses, and now they’re telling us we shouldn’t have been admitted?”
“We are not the ones who approved the admission quota. Why should we suffer for the institution’s mistake?”
Some students described the situation as an act of “greed and irresponsibility” on the part of the university, claiming that authorities continued to admit students each year, fully aware of the MDCN’s limitations.
While the university has yet to issue a formal public statement, some students allege that staff members have warned them against speaking to the media.
“We were told not to talk about this, even among ourselves,” claimed another affected student who declined to speak further on the issue.
“But we are tired of being quiet. We have families who’ve invested in us. We want answers. And that is what we want from the school management.”
Efforts to reach the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Florence Obi, were unsuccessful, as calls to her phone went unanswered and text messages were not returned at the time of filing this report.
