Admission crisis: NANS calls for reform, alleges NUC enabling university malpractices

• Tackles NUC over monitoring of admission into professional courses
• NANS calls on the NUC to take immediate and decisive action to ensure that universities adhere strictly to the admission quotas set by their professional bodies. 

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has strongly criticized the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its failure to properly regulate and monitor admission quotas for professional courses in universities.

NANS said that the NUC’s inaction has allowed universities to engage in unethical practices, admitting more students than allowed by professional bodies, leading to a surplus of students in certain programs.

This criticism was expressed in a statement by NANS Senate President, Comrade Akinteye Afeez, on Saturday.

The statement reads: “It is alarming that certain university administrations admit more students than they can adequately train, fully aware that these students will not be able to obtain the necessary licenses to practice upon graduation.

“This malpractice has created a dire situation where many students, particularly those in Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) programmes, have been left in limbo. Some MLS graduates have been unable to write their professional exams or gain indexing, despite having completed their studies as far back as seven years ago.

“This unacceptable situation has resulted in graduates being unable to work in their chosen fields, despite having invested years of their lives and substantial resources into their education. The inability to take professional exams not only hampers their career prospects but also wastes the potential contributions they could be making to society.

“NANS calls on the NUC to take immediate and decisive action to ensure that universities adhere strictly to the admission quotas set by their professional bodies. It is imperative that these quotas are respected to prevent the oversaturation of students in programmes that cannot support their professional development and licensing.

“Furthermore, we demand that university managements comply with these quotas and prioritize the welfare and future of their students by ensuring they are only admitted into programmes that can adequately support their training and professional licensing.

“The plight of MLS students across the country is a stark example of the consequences of ignoring professional admission quotas. These students have been unfairly treated and their future jeopardized by the very institutions that were supposed to guide them towards successful careers.

“NANS stands in solidarity with these students and all others affected by such malpractices. We urge the NUC to implement stringent monitoring and regulatory measures to safeguard the interests of all students and ensure that universities maintain the highest standards of integrity in their admissions processes.

“We believe that with the NUC’s intervention, the integrity of professional education in Nigeria can be restored, and future students will not have to endure the hardships currently faced by many.”