Nursing Council Suspends Abia School of Nursing Exam Indefinitely Amidst Student Protest
The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has made the unprecedented decision to indefinitely suspend the Preliminary Test Session (PTS) examination at the Abia School of Nursing. The abrupt move follows a surge in student protests and the revelation of admission discrepancies that have cast a shadow over the institution's academic integrity. Students and school authorities are grappling with the implications.
Mary Nwaeze 
In a surprising turn of events, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has indefinitely suspended the Preliminary Test Session (PTS) examination at the Abia School of Nursing. This decision comes in the wake of student protests and admission discrepancies that have plagued the institution.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ngozi Okoronkwo, addressed the media, shedding light on the underlying issues that led to this drastic measure. According to Dr. Okoronkwo, the immediate past administration admitted an exorbitant number of nursing students, with the initial plan being to enroll only 75 students. However, a staggering 420 students were admitted, creating a logistical nightmare for the current administration.
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"This admission happened in April, so they were already in school when we came in. The schools were supposed to have taken about 75 students only for the training institution, but what we met on the ground was 420 students. We didn’t create it, but we have to find a solution," explained Dr. Okoronkwo.
The situation escalated when students, who were initially affected by alleged result and admission racketeering, began protesting during the rescheduled PTS exam. The State government had previously canceled the exam and rescheduled it following earlier protests. However, the latest protests resulted in the Nursing Council's intervention, leading to the suspension of the exam.
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To address the issue, the Nursing Council sent a Director from Abuja to assess the situation. After a meeting with the Director, it was decided that strict guidelines must be followed for students to proceed with the examination. The first step in this process involves verifying the correctness of the students' WAEC results.
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"We started the process immediately, requested the names from the Principals of the two schools; Nursing School Amachara and Nursing School, Umuahia, and they provided the names, provided the documents. And have cleared about 500 students out of over 700 of them," stated Dr. Okoronkwo.
The indefinite suspension of the PTS exam has left both students and the educational authorities grappling with the repercussions, emphasizing the need for a swift and comprehensive resolution to the ongoing challenges in the nursing education system in Abia State.
