The University of Calabar (Unical) Alumni Association has appealed to the Federal Government to grant the institution waiver to recruit personnel to fill various vacant spaces in the institution.
President of the alumni, Mr Paul Ishiemomoh, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Calabar, the Cross River State capital, on Monday.
Ishiemomoh said that the appeal became expedient in the face of the ongoing issue of the more than 300 dentistry students of the university, whose admissions were on the verge of being terminated.
NAN reported that the institution’s dentistry department was a few weeks ago embroiled in controversy over claims of the university admitting more students than the number officially accredited by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The affected students, some of whom are in their fourth and fifth years of study, said they were issued letters summoning them for a meeting regarding what the school authorities described as non-regular admissions.
The Vice Chancellor, Professor Florence Obi, explained that the problem predated her administration and pledged to intensify efforts to rectify the crisis.
She added that the crisis resulted from the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria’s refusal to induct 2016 dentistry students of the institution.
President of the alumni, however, said several other departments may face similar challenges over accreditation issues if not sorted out now.
He noted that aside from the challenge of facilities, there was also that of manpower.
He called on the Ministry of Education to immediately release funds meant for the upgrading of some selected universities’ medical schools across the country.
He also said that the institution was not entirely to blame for the admission beyond their quota.
The alumni president also said that the senate as the body in charge of academic activities and also in charge of setting the cut-off mark and the number of students to be admitted, was complacent about the issue.
READ ALSO: NAUS demands urgent action to resolve UNICAL dentistry crisis
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