Taraba State University (TSU) Department of Medical Laboratory Science students have expressed frustration over the non-issuance of a certificate from the university authority for over three years of graduation.
While counting their losses, the supposed graduated students lamented the university’s inability to register them for the Composer National Youths Service Corps (NYSC) due to the department’s lack of accreditation.
LEADERSHIP learned that, as of the time of the report, the university had yet to be accredited by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) to ensure that the medical Science education in the school meets rigorous standards.
It is reliable that the university has already graduated three sets of students from 2021, 2022, and 2023, accumulating over one thousand graduates without issuing them with certificates or registration for the one-year mandatory NYSC service.
The department’s graduate students who spoke to our correspondent said they still need to find a way to begin their livelihood after three years of graduation. They stated that their mates who graduated the same years as them from other universities already got jobs and started earning their living.
The students further regretted that even though the department is the most expensive one among all departments in the university, their parents have struggled to pay school fees. At the same time, they have graduated to join them at home with no course to show for their suffering.
Most of the students spoke to our correspondent under the condition of anonymity, stating that they could be victimised if they were eventually exposed.
“Most people who do not know the university system are making a mockery of us; some are saying we did not graduate because they see that our mates who graduated the same years with us have gone for NYSC, some are working while we sit at home doing nothing without even results to show.
“We worry that the longer the days are, the more we are ageing; we want the state government to investigate and assist the department in getting accreditation from MLSCN so that we can get our results and seek job opportunities,” the graduates stated.
When contacted, the Director of Information Taraba State University, Sanusi Sa’ad, said the university has completed all the necessary steps to complete the department’s accreditation.
“We have done all that is needed to complete accreditation of the department; we are also in touch with the affected graduates; in a few weeks, the team from the MLSCN will give the full certification, and the matter will be put to rest,” Sa’ad stated.
