The Jos University Dental Students’ Association (JUDENSA) has condemned 10 years of prolonged schooling, decrying the emotional trauma the students have endured.
It stressed that the students have reached their breaking point, as they are emotionally drained, deeply traumatised and vulnerable to suicidal tendencies.
President of JUDENSA, Johnson Titus Bisani, stated this at the weekend at a press briefing held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Plateau State Council Secretariat, Jos.
Bisani disclosed that the entire North Central region has approximately 311 dentists serving a population of 20 million, while the University of Jos (UJ) is the only institution in the entire geo-political zone with a dental school. He lamented that what had begun as a source of hope had stretched into a decade of frustration, delays, and unfulfilled expectations.
His words: “This programme was launched in 2015 with our pioneer class brimming with enthusiasm. Unfortunately, year after year, students paid fees, attended lectures and completed postings with little advancement toward writing our dental examinations.
“We raised our concerns through meetings and appeal letters, but responses were limited until after the first major protest that took place on April 25, 2024. That day, we peacefully took to the streets, not out of rebellion but out of frustration.
“Highlighting how nine years had passed without a single graduate and without a single professional dental exam written.” Bisani said the protest caught the attention of well-meaning Nigerians who came to their rescue, particularly through the intervention of Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State.
He revealed that the school management had met with them, along with the college management, and rolled out some timelines for accreditation, allowing the first set to write their clinical examinations and be inducted as dentists by 2025.
The JUDENSA president regretted that more than a year after the promises, nothing has taken place as those promises had evaporated into thin air.
