Following the controversy generated by Preliminary Test Session examinations in Abia State nursing schools, the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has suspended the exercise indefinitely.
The latest development was made known to journalists in
Umuahia by the Abia State commissioner for health, Dr Ngozi Okoronkwo, flanked
by the commissioner for information and culture, Okey Kanu.
Okoronkwo explained that the Nursing and Midwifery Council
of Nigeria suspended the Abia PTS examinations because of over-bloated
admissions to the Amachara School of Nursing and School of Nursing, Umuahia.
She said that 420 students were admitted to study nursing by
the last administration in the State, instead of the approved 75 spots but
assured that the Abia State government was doing everything possible to bring a
solution to the quagmire.
Recalls that the PST examination has been generating
controversy in the State.
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 cancelled 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.
But the commissioner for health said that some of the
protesting students were found to have allegedly presented fake WAEC results.