Taraba Students’ Protest Disgraceful To Nursing Profession – Provost

Provost of the Taraba State College of Nursing Sciences, Dr Dorcas Dugule, has described the recent security breaches involving students of the institution as barbaric and disgraceful to the Nursing Council of Nigeria.

Dugule, who spoke to newsmen, while reviewing the situation at the college, said she had never witnessed student nurses take to the streets to protest in such a manner throughout her years of nursing practice.

She acknowledged that, some former students participated in the demonstration, saying that as far as she was concerned, they remained members of the college community in her assessment.

Dugule also dismissed suggestions that the crisis was being driven by her alleged political affiliations, saying she was not a politician.

The provost alleged that, issues surrounding her leadership, certificate and disciplinary policies had been introduced alongside the security complaints, but said, she would respond formally to any petition concerning her academic credentials.

On allegations that some members of her management team were contributing to the crisis by withholding information from her, Dugule said she could not completely rule out such a possibility.

“I will not dispute that one, because everybody is born differently and upbringing is different. The wolf in sheep’s clothing are parading everywhere. But I don’t know them,” she said.

The provost also rejected allegations of religious discrimination over restrictions on the wearing of hijabs, saying ‘I didn’t prevent religious practice.”

She explained that, her concern was the safety and professional appearance of students during clinical procedures, particularly when conducting deliveries.

“I didn’t prevent anybody from practising his religion. They pray. I don’t prevent them from praying. But I said, tuck the hijab in and look smart, the way internationally it is done,” she said.

The provost, further attributed part of the tension between the management and students to disciplinary measures introduced since she assumed office.

She defended the college’s restrictions on entry, saying lectures commenced at 7:30am and that students arriving after 8am were denied entry into the school premises.

“Our school is a professional school. You must learn how to be disciplined in order to become a nurse. If you are not disciplined, the knowledge you are getting will not reflect in your character,” she said.

She also defended the institution’s academic policy of withholding registration for final examinations from students who fail stipulated preparatory examinations.

According to her, students who fail the required examination must remain out of the programme for six months and satisfy the prescribed academic conditions before they can be considered for further registration.

Dr. Dugule said, the policy had resulted in improved examination performance, claiming that the institution’s results had risen from about 40 percent when she assumed office to between 70 and 80 per cent in subsequent examinations.

The provost, then urged staff to remain committed to their duties and advised parents to discourage misconduct among their children.

She insisted that, the management would continue to enforce professional and academic standards at the college in the best interest of the students.