Students in limbo as Yobe assembly bans unaccredited health institutions
Last week, the Yobe State commissioner for health, Dr Muhammad Lawan Gana, raised alarm over the number of unaccredited health institutions in the state. The commissioner maintained that Yobe has only three accredited and recognized health tertiary institutions which include the Yobe State University; which offers training for medical, dental, radiology, physiotherapy among other clinical courses.
Others are the Shehu Sule College of Nursing and Midwifery Damaturu which trains nurses and midwives, and the College of Health Sciences Nguru which trains junior community health extension workers (JCHEW), medical laboratory technicians among others.
Gana, who made the disclosure at a media briefing in his office in Damaturu, told journalists that the ministry had already contacted all health accreditation bodies who confirmed that they did not issue licenses to the alleged health schools.
Daily Trust on Sunday gathered that most of these institutions are either disguised as affiliations to some recognized universities or registered health training institutions in the country.
Some of the students in such schools who spoke to our correspondent alleged that they pay high registration fees, than most medical students in public universities in Nigeria.
A 200-Level student of Environmental health in one of the alleged unregistered health schools in Potiskum, told our correspondent that his school has more than 300 students.
According to him, the school which has a temporary campus at the College of Administration and Business Studies (CABS) Potiskum, was said to have affiliations with the University of Ibadan.
He said the school started two years ago and offers three courses - Environmental health, Public Health and Health Information Management.
Another student of the school said he paid over N180,000 as registration fee, apart from other dues and related formalities.
“After Daily Trust’s story last week, some of us have pressured the school coordinator on the stand of our school but the coordinator denied that the sanction did not affect us. He said our school is a study centre of the University of Ibadan just like that of many other universities across Nigerian states,” he lamented.
He said many students have refused to pay for their registration even as the school is about to begin this semester’s examination in a few weeks.
Another source disclosed that though he has confidence in the lecturers, he was still curious about the school’s legitimacy.
His curiosity stems from the fact that the school lacks basic facilities like a standard laboratory and also the fact that the school was not among the acclaimed University of Ibadan campuses when he checked on the UI’s website.
Our correspondent encountered Mary Sabo, a diploma student in another school alleged to be affiliated to the College of Health Sciences Katagum in Potiskum.
Sabo, who paid the sum of N160,000 as registration fee, said the school has few and unqualified teachers with no facilities for practicals.
Sabi was worried as the school has been already proscribed by the Yobe State House of Assembly.
When contacted, member representing Potiskum Central in the Yobe State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Adamu Bazuwa, said he raised the concern before plenary and the House approved the suspension of the institutions.
Bazuwa, who personally visited the newly established Katagum College of Health Sciences and Technology Azare (KACHESTA) with centre in Potiskum, said during the visit he discovered that the school has no affiliation with any other health institution in the country and was not accredited by relevant regulatory agencies.
“Moreover, in order to ascertain the true position of the college, I contacted both the state ministry of health and that of education and they informed me that the college has no merits for accreditation. It has too many affiliations, they don’t have permanent site and no equiped laboratory,” he said.
“As the representative of Potiskum Central Constituency, I called on the general public to be aware of such schools within the metropolis and stay away from them so that our younger ones would not waste their resources and time.”
Daily Trust on Sunday learnt that most students rush to such schools due to the special consideration offered to health workers by Non-governmental organizations, federal and state governments, especially in terms of employment opportunities and better pay package.
Meanwhile, parents and students are worried and demand the state government to intervene in refunding the huge registration fees they’ve been forced to pay.