After about eight years, medical students of the Benue State University (BSU) College of Health Sciences began their first professional exams last week. MSONTER ANZAA (200-Level Medicine) writes.
After years of accreditation battle, the College of Health Sciences of the Benue State University (BSU) has started conducting professional exams for medical students. Three sets of 400-Level students wrote their exams last week; another wrote the exams penultimate week.
The 400-Level students, who wrote their exam last week, were divided into A, B and C groups. The first two groups were merged to take their second professional exam. The other was writing its first professional in the college.
Following the accreditation crisis in the college, five sets of classes were promoted to 400 Level. But none could write the professional exams because the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) and National Universities Commission (NUC) could not certify the facilities of the medical college.
The first two sets, which were promoted to 400-Level, finished their syllabus early but remained at that level without any academic activity for, at least, a year. When MDCN endorsed the medical courses last November, students were called to write their exam.
Since the certification of medical courses, life in the college has taken a new turn. In the part, students would play music loud in their hostels and watch movies from daybreak till evening. The patronage at the campus snooker board was at its peak because they did not attend classes for a year. All these changed the moment accreditation was secured. The atmosphere has become serious as students now burn the midnight oil.
The exam is the second professional assessment taking place in the history of the college. It is considered significant to everyone, especially the pioneer students, who have overstayed in the medical school. There is a feeling of ecstasy, which suggests that the exam is important not only to the students but the entire college community.
This is evident in the comments, which students have been making on the institution’s Facebook page.
One such message came from the Speaker of the Benue State University Medical Students Association (BESUMSA), Andrew Iorkyaan, a 400-Level student. He posted: “Today, a bus that has broken down on the road side is about to continue its journey. Today, we shall begin to reap tangible academic fruits from our struggles. History shall be made in the college as the first ever pathology and pharmacology final exams begin; I predict a profound success for the pioneer class.”
The Financial Secretary of the association, who is also a 400-Level student, Joseph Agogo, prayed for the pioneer students’ success. “May God of inexhaustible blessing unleash His unquantifiable blessings on all the pioneer students; may He, in fulfillment of His word in John14:26, make you all to remember all you have read,” he wrote.
As it is done in the college during exams, the Christian Medical and Dental Association – Students (CMDAS) raised a cooking committee to prepared food for the students to erase their worries over what to eat during the period.
The exams, which will last for two weeks, will enable the student to proceed to 500-Level for the first time since the inception of the College 10 years ago.
