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By Madu Obi
Academic activities are still grounded at the medical school of Nnamdi Azikiwe University(NAU), Awka following a strike by the lecturers over the alleged plan to exclude its members from contesting for the position of the institution's Vice Chancellor.
On Wednesday at the College of medicine in Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, the students were seen reading on their own without the guidance of their lecturers.
One of the students said if the strike continues for another week, final year students might not be able to graduate this academic year as scheduled.
He described the past one week as difficult as they could not continue with their clinical postings and lectures that will qualify them for their final year examination.
The student who declined to give his name said: "This is my 8th year in the medical school without repeating a class." Covid-19 took one year and past ASUU strike snatched the second year from my set.
We are confused about what is going on, we have not had classes for about a week now and nothing is in sight.
We are just sleeping and waking up everyday and not sure if we are in school. It has not been this bad in UNIZIK medical school and we are calling on those concerned to look into the problem with the lecturers with a view to bringing us back to class as soon as possible".
Recall that the Governing Council of the university recently advertised for applications for the position of VC, but the lecturers said there were injurious requirements designed to exclude qualified candidates in the faculties of Medicine, Basic Clinical Sciences and Basic Medical Sciences from the race.
The lecturers under the aegis of Medical and Dental Consultant Association of Nigeria ( MDCAN) in a communique signed by Dr Victor Modekwe and Dr Sunday Oriji MDCAN-NAUTH chairman and secretary respectively rejected the insertion that aspirants must possess a PhD.
According to the MDCAN officials, some of the requirements did not consider the peculiarities of the career progression path of medical doctors in academics.
They observed that the advertisement which required that an applicant for the position of VC-NAU must possess a first degree, Master’s degree and a PhD, did not take into consideration the peculiarities of medical qualifications.
They demanded the immediate withdrawal and correction of the advert to factor in the academic pathway of medical/clinical lecturers which are post-graduate Medical Fellowship regarded as equivalent of PhD. and exclusion of Master’s degree from the requirement, considering their long standing pathway.
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