The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN) has suspended the Preliminary Test Session (PTS) examinations in Abia State nursing schools indefinitely.
The decision followed the controversy generated by the over-admission of students during the previous administration of Former Governor Ikezie Ikpeazu.
Announcing the suspension on Tuesday, December 5, in Umuahia, the Abia State Commissioner for Health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo alleged that some students had presented forged WAEC certificates.
Okoronkwo explained that the NMCN suspended the Abia PTS examinations because the Amachara School of Nursing and the School of Nursing, Umuahia, admitted 420 students to study nursing in 2022, instead of the approved 75 spots.
She said that the Abia State government was “doing everything possible to bring a solution to the quagmire”, and appealed to the affected students to remain calm and patient.
The PTS examination, which is a prerequisite for the final qualifying examination for nurses, has been generating controversy in the state since last week.
Some students had accused the Director of Nursing in the state, Onyeukwu Nwakaego, and some other top officials of allegedly compromising the examination and called for its cancellation, while another set of nursing students, led by Chidiebere Michael, condemned the cancellation of their initial examination.
Reacting, the Abia State government canceled the first exercise and fixed another one free of charge.
But on Monday, some nursing students again tried to disrupt the re-sit examination fixed by the Abia State government, claiming that they were excluded by the organizers because of WAEC results.
However, the commissioner for health said that some of the protesting students were found to have allegedly presented fake WAEC results.
She warned that the state government would not tolerate any form of examination malpractice or indiscipline in the nursing schools, and urged the students to abide by the rules and regulations of the NMCN.
She also assured that the state government was committed to improving the quality of health care delivery in the state, and would continue to support the nursing schools to produce competent and qualified nurses.
“We will not tolerate any form of examination malpractice or indiscipline in the nursing schools. We urge the students to abide by the rules and regulations of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria.
“We are committed to improving the quality of health care delivery in the state, and we will continue to support the nursing schools to produce competent and qualified nurses,” she said.
