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University Of Lagos Medical Students Protest Change In Cut-Off Marks, Shut Down Gates

February 10, 2016

Medical students at the University of Lagos (UNILAG) on Wednesday shut down the gates to the university to protest the university’s decision to increase the cut-off marks they must meet in order to continue their medical training.[slideshow]45075[/slideshow]

The demonstrating students usually proceed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Idiaraba after their first year on the university’s main campus.

Two of the protesting students told a correspondent of SaharaReporters that the initial cut-off they were required to meet was 2.50-grade point (GP). They accused the university administration of arbitrarily jerking up the cut-off to 4.00 GP without giving current students any warning or special considerations. 

“We are protesting because all the affected students feel cheated,” one of the protesting students told our correspondent. He added: “How can the university authorities justify increasing the cut-off from 2.50 4.00? It is absolutely unacceptable.”

Another protesting medical student stated that he knew a fellow student with a grade point of 3.94 who had received a notification from the university that he should change his degree to Education Biology. “This kind of action is unjust,” said the student.

Our two sources claimed that the student union leaders had made efforts to broker a peaceful resolution of the dispute with UNILAG administrators, adding that the administrators remained unwilling to negotiate in good faith.

“We decided to shut down the gates because the school authorities have shown no interest in a meaningful dialogue with us,” one of the students said. The students said they could not tell how long their protests would last, one of them declaring that it would depend on how the university “addresses our legitimate concerns.” 

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ACTIVISM