The Management of Harvarde College of Science, Business, and Management has declared that the institution is not running an illegal nursing program, as widely reported in some sections of the media.
Recall that Tribune Online reported that the State Government, through the Ministry of Health, shut down the nursing science department of the privately-owned school last Tuesday.
The institution equally denies that the accreditation status of the program had anything to do with the death of a 300-level former student of the school, reported to have committed suicide.
The President of the College, Dr. Oluwatosin Adebayo, stated this in a statement on Thursday, adding that the cause of the lady’s death was not in any way connected to the institution but purely a resultant effect of trauma over the rejection of her pregnancy by her lover.
The school further said the deceased took her life in an attempt to save her shame as efforts to terminate her pregnancy proved abortive.
According to Dr. Adebayo, the deceased 300-level student who committed suicide dropped out of the institution over poor academic performance more than a year ago.
“For the unfortunate incident that claimed the life of the ex-student, one Ajoke, who had left our school since 2023 based on her failure in her academics, our investigations through Adigbe Division of Nigeria Police Force, Ogun State Police Command indicated that Ajoke died of a poisonous substance she took when she didn’t know who exactly was responsible for her pregnancy, and all efforts to get it terminated proved abortive as she later resorted to killing to save her shame.
“This is nothing but the truth on Ajoke’s death. We believe that all records, exhibits, and the Police are there for anybody to see and interrogate on the remote and immediate cause of her death.”
Also speaking on the shutting of the school, Dr. Adebayo said, “It’s no doubt that Nursing as a Course didn’t start in Nigeria as an Academic Course, but it did start in Nigeria as a Professional Course with Schools of Nursing, and their Graduates were awarded, after three years of studies, (RN) – Registered Nursing, and (RM) – Registered Midwifery, respectively.
“But, the recent upgrade changed the face of Nursing Science in Nigeria as it’s been taught as both Academic and Professional just like other Professional Courses, such as Medicine, Law, Engineering, Medical Laboratory Science, Pharmacy, Accounting, among others for which students must offer certain academic courses for a certain number of years before they are finally qualified for professional training, which prepares them for licensing and the professions.
“What the upgrade by the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) now means is that Colleges of Nursing are statutorily empowered to award National Diploma and Higher National Diploma in Nursing Science before professional exams by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCH) and licensing to operate in the Health Sector.
“This was what the National Board of Technical Education (NBTE) requested Harvarde College of Science, Business, and Management Studies to take out ND and HND for Nursing Science completely, from Harvarde College of Science, Business, and Management Studies, by creating a separate College of Nursing where ND and HND Nursing Science will be run with a separate College.”
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The management, however, said in compliance with the NBTE’s directive, the school has “established an entirely new College of Nursing Science named PenHarvard College of Nursing which has separate structures and Nursing equipment different from the structures and equipment being used by Harvarde College of Science, Business, and Management Studies,” the statement reads.
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