TWENTY-FIVE students of the College of Health Technology in Foreign Links Campus, a private college of education in Ile-Ife, Osun State, have scored distinction in a degree-awarding examination at the College of Higher Health Sciences, Tiko, Republic of Cameroon, where they were transferred to for their BSc Nursing examination.
The College of Higher Health Sciences is affiliated to the University of Boya, Republic of Cameroon.
The proprietor of the Foreign Links Campus, Dr Fola Akinosun, described the feat as laudable.
According to Dr Akinosun, Foreign Links Campus has a transfer arrangement with the Cameroon institution to enable its Nursing students obtain a degree in Nursing, since it can only award the Ordinary and National Higher Diplomas in Nursing.
He said, “After two sessions at the Foreign Links Campus, whereby we introduce them to the basic sciences, the Nursing students were transferred to our partner foreign higher health institution.
“The arrangement is for them to have a BSc in Health Sciences and Medical Laboratory from a government-owned university, which happens to be the University of Boya, in Cameroon. That is why our institution is called Foreign Links Campus.
“We partner with institutions of higher learning both within and outside Nigeria. For example, like education programme, the institution is affiliated to Ambrose Ali University, Ekpoma, for the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed).”
He added that schools in Nigeria only award the OND and HND in Nursing, and it his dream for students to have BSc in Nursing.
Speaking at the event, the director of MAFLEKUM Higher Institution of Health Sciences, Republic of Cameroon, Dr Anselem Ewang, said he was fulfilled that the partnership his institution had with Foreign Links had recorded outstanding success.
In the same vein, the vice chairman, Oyo State chapter of Nigeria Medical Association, Dr Fasasi, lauded the feat recorded by the students, adding that the students would be presented to the Ministry of Education to partake in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) after returning to Nigeria with their degree certificates in Nursing.
On the acceptability of the certificates in the Nigerian medical field, Dr Akinosun explained that the BSc certificate awarded to the students is equivalent to the one awarded in Nigerian universities.
He, however, spoke on the challenges posed by the Nigerian situation.
Akinosun said: “Nursing schools in Nigeria often have a lot of students enrolled, but when it gets to the professional examination level, they weed them out. What then happens to the rest?
“They go back to the streets and start practising quack nursing or giving out unprofessional medical advice and administrations to people around them.
“I don’t think there should be a reason to deprive any person from being educated. In fact, it should be a right to everybody. Weeding students out due to quota or number the school should present is not fair.”
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