KASU medical students protest non-accreditation of faculty

Posted by: From Abdulgafar Alabelewe, Kaduna in Campus Life, News Update.

Medical Students of Kaduna State University (KASU) matched out in their numbers to protest the non accreditation of their course by the Nigeria University Commission (NUC).

The protesting students blocked the main entrance of the institution carrying placards with inscriptions such as; ‘we are tired, accredit our faculty’, ‘fix Barau Dikko for our clinical’ and ‘this protest is the tip of the iceberg’ among others.

One of the protesting students said the Faculty of Medicine started since 2008/09 academic session and none of the students has gone beyond 300 levels.

Speaking further, he said, “we were told that Barau Dikko Hospital would be upgraded to a Teaching Hospital so that we can utilise it for our clinical, but up till date the level of work in the hospital is not encouraging,” he said.

Also speaking, a female student who identified herself as Rabi said the institution was not fare to the students.

She stressed that the medical students of the institution were left in a state of confusion and as such want the government to take proactive measures and do all that is necessary to ensure the faculty gets the much needed accreditation.

Another student, Thompson said he is personally pained by the attitude of the state government toward the upgrade of Barau Dikko Hospital, which he described as irresponsible.

He said aside the students who need the hospital for their clinical; other people in the state also need the hospital for healthcare delivery.

While one Hassan Abu who was among the leading figures of the protest pleaded with the state government to rise to the occasion and save the students who have being left stranded for too long.

He said he was aware that a set of Medical students have been transferred to Uganda to complete their studies, a situation which has heightened tension among the other students.

He therefore called on Governor Yero to find a lasting solution to the plight of the medical students.

Several efforts to reach the school management to comment on this issue, was frustrated by some private security personnel at the school gate who denied media men entrance to the school premises.