The management of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Monday urged the agitating 100 level medical students to accept the various related study disciplines assigned to them in good faith.
The Deputy Dean of the Students’ Affairs of the institution, Dr Karo Ogbinaka, made this appeal in Lagos.
Some 100 level students of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) recently protested against what they called new policy of the institution.
They alleged that the policy placed restriction on the number of 100 level students that can transfer from the Main Campus in Akoka, Yaba to the College of Medicine, Idi-Araba, Surulere.
According to the students, the restriction will affect those students who cannot meet up with the institution criteria after spending one year.
Reacting to the development, Ogbinaka said that the action of the institution was in accord with that of Nigeria Medical Council (NMC).
He explained that not all students that were given admission to read medicine normally scale through the requisite, adding that there were some `fundamentals’ that must be met.
“The fundamental thing about admission into medical school is at two levels.
“Firstly, these students were admitted into the basic 100 level. At this level, they are given a basic requirement that they must meet before crossing over to medical school.
“So, if you look at the arrangement, you will discover that the college itself expects that only the best out of the lots are allowed to pursue their career there.
“Even though the public and parents may hold the impression that their children have been admitted to study medicine, they sometimes do not qualify to cross over,’’ Ogbinaka said.
He said that basically the procedure for admission into the college in the current academic session had a peculiar challenge.
According to him, this is borne out of a policy by the Nigeria Medical Council (NMC).
Ogbinaka noted that the body had reduced the quota for admission, normally given to the University of Lagos.
The dean added that universities running medical programmes are normally assigned a particular number of students they were to admit each year, according to their capacity.
“This practice is called indexing and any student that is not indexed cannot be inducted as a medical practitioner in the country.
“Therefore, with this development, no university can risk admitting more than required.
“Although some students might have met the required cut off point of at least 50 per cent across the required subjects.
“If the university had used that population, it definitely would have overshot the requirement of the NMC,’’ he said.
According to him, what the university did is to introduce a new crossover requirement by using the students’ Cumulative Grade Points Average (CGPA).
He said that the CGPA was pegged at 4.11 and as a result 45 scaled through it.
Ogbinaka pleaded with parents and other stakeholders, whose children and wards were affected, to show understanding by allowing the students to move on with their new disciplines.
