The public has been urged by the National Universities Commission (NUC) to dismiss the Doctor of Medical Laboratory Science (DMLS) program at any university in the nation, stating that it is not authorised.
The commission made this revelation in a statement Wednesday, which was signed by Mrs. Franca Elochi Chukwuonwo, its interim director of public affairs.
DMLS is not included in the commission’s Core Curriculum Minimum Academic Standards (CCMAS) or Benchmark Minimum Academic Standards (BMAS), it stated.
The commission advanced several medical-related programs at Nigerian institutions from bachelor’s degrees to PhD level, according to the statement.
It stated that the decision to update was motivated by the need to include more clinical and practical sessions, better the coverage of core courses, improve clinical skills, and thoroughly cover all specialised areas.
The improvement is in line with international best practices for educating professionals in these domains, the commission added.
The impacted programs’ duration has been increased from five to six years as part of the modifications to make room for more coursework and clinical training.
Clarification on Nomenclature Change and Upgraded Programs from Bachelor’s Degree to Doctor Status in Nigerian Universities is the title of the statement.
“The National Universities Commission, cognizant of the need to keep abreast with global perspectives on programmes and course delivery in the university education space, had carried out some nomenclature change and upgraded Programmes from Bachelor’s Degree to Doctor (Bachelor’s Degree with clinical sessions) status in Nigerian Universities.
“This quest to upgrade the status of some medical-related programmes from Bachelor’s Degree to Doctor (Bachelor’s Degree with clinical sessions) was borne out of the desire to incorporate more clinical/ practical sessions, provide sufficient coverage of foundation courses, improve on clinical skills and cover all speciality areas.
“The trend also seeks to align with global best practices applicable to the training of professionals in these medical-related programmes. Furthermore, the certificates obtained from the Nigerian University System can be at par with those obtained in similar programmes from other climes.
“This will ensure the requisite harmonisation, mutuality and global competitiveness of Nigerian graduates in terms of certificates evaluation, employability and further studies in the relevant disciplines.”