Education Stakeholders Speak Against NUC’s Decision on 11 Years for Medical Students

The announcement made by the National Universities Commission, NUC, to increase the years of study for medical students to 11 years has stirred reactions from various stakeholders in the education sector.

According to the Vanguard, some education stakeholders have argued that studying medicine for eleven years will likely lead to the dearth of medical personnel in the country, as students will not only be discouraged by the number of years they have to spend in school but will also be turned off by the expenses.

Professor Oyesoji Aremu, Deputy Director, Distance Learning Institute, DLI, University of Ibadan, made his reactions known thus: “The announcement of NUC that medical students would have to spend 11 years for medical education appears too much a year to be spent in medical schools.”

While suggesting that NUC should break the 11 years into two phases, where students can choose to either continue or discontinue with medicine after the first phase, Deputy Vice Chancellor, University of Calabar, Professor Florence Banku-Obi said, “NUC just made a statement that has not been backed up by any policy. No policy or curriculum to guide them on that.”

Source: Vanguard