Chris Agabi
17 September 2008
Lagos — The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) says its Fellowship Diploma is higher than a PhD, thus it qualifies anyone with it to lecture.
The position is a reaction to the contemplated new policy by National Universities Commission that the minimum qualification to lecture in a medical school should be a PhD.
If the policy comes into effect, holders of the Fellowship Diploma would also need a PhD to lecture in Nigerian medical schools.
But in a reaction to that policy in Lagos , during a press briefing to kick start activities of the institutions annual congress and convocation ceremony holding Thursday, the present of the institution Dr. Michael O. Tiawo said "we will not allow them (NUC) to debase our programme."
He said the Fellowship Diploma is higher in status than a PhD and it is recognised internationally adding, the training and research work is also higher than a PhD.
"The Fellowship is a research programme in the totality of the faculty that you are in while the PhD is a research programme in just one subject. So you cannot say a research programme in a whole faculty is smaller than a research programme in just one subject."
"We met with NUC and I made a presentation. Eventually we agreed that the status quo be maintained and that the fellowship should continue. This is a standard programme dissertation."
"What can they write in PhD that will be more than what we ask our year two students to write? He asked.
"What they wanted to do is reduce our Fellowship Diploma status to grade II lecturer from the Grade I we are accorded, but we won't allow that."
But today, I got another letter by the Council signed by professor Bichi that they are recalling another stakeholders meeting. We will never allow them to debase our fellowship set up by a competent law. None of us critical stakeholders will accept that because you can get a PhD without being a fellow he said.
Concerning the Medical and Dental Council's submission that most of Nigeria 's medical graduate are not competent he said, that is purely an undergraduate issue, we deal with postgraduate studies so that is beyond our scope. But we watch that the products from the undergraduate training that come to do our professional Diploma are of high standard.
He said this year's convocation will see 175 grandaunts comprising medical doctors and dentists bagging Fellowship Diploma from various fields. Also he will be installed the 14th College President.
He decried the poor level of funding of the institution, and encourages young medical graduates to come for the Fellowship Diploma early rather than wait for several years.
He said the college since inception in 1979 has produced 3000 specialists who man Nigeria 's hospitals.
According to him, about 75 percent of medical teachers in Nigeria 's medical and dental schools are products of the college.
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