The Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UNICAL), Prof. Florence Obi, has directed final-year Dentistry students to withdraw from the institution, citing limitations in the university’s graduation quota approved by the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN).
The decision affects students in their sixth and seventh years of study, following the university’s failure to upgrade its infrastructure and secure an increase in its MDCN-approved quota. UNICAL is currently permitted to graduate only 10 Dentistry students per year but has admitted far more over several academic sessions.
It was gathered that while the final-year class has 39 students, the set ahead recently completed their final professional examinations in May but have not been cleared for graduation due to the same quota restrictions. Some classes reportedly have as many as 128 students, far exceeding the approved limit.
Students claim they were never informed about the quota limitations during admission or academic progression and described the situation as unjust and damaging. Many have called for immediate intervention from the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Universities Commission (NUC), and the MDCN.
The university’s management has advised affected students to seek transfers to other accredited dental schools in the country — a directive students describe as impractical, as other institutions are reportedly at full capacity.
The MDCN, the regulatory authority for medical and dental education in Nigeria, maintains strict quotas to ensure quality and adequate training infrastructure. Under existing regulations, no dental student can graduate without meeting the council’s approved standards.
Students have since appealed to the public, alumni bodies, and professional associations to intervene and prevent what they describe as academic injustice.
