The Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences OAU rescinded their decision on the commencement date of the part 3 class Medical Board Examination.
Late last night, the 8th of September, the examination coordinator for the Medical Board exams for both preclinical classes (Part 2 & 3) put out the exam timetable for both classes. Every member of the part 3 class was left in total shock as they discovered that they would be starting their first professional Medical Board examinations in 11 days.
The Exypnos class Rep, Oduntan Toluwanu, was disappointed with the news. He had earlier been informed that the part 3 class Medical Board exam would commence in October and not September, which he duly relayed to the class.
While some members of the class believed that it must have been some form of a typographical error on the part of who drafted the timetable, the majority of the class believed otherwise, which made them express their displeasure via their keypads.
After over an hour past midnight, the class agreed on holding a peaceful protest at the faculty to express their worries about the proposed date as they believed that the proposed date if accepted, would be some form of “suicide mission” as they could not cover the number of topics they have to read in such little amount of time.
As early as 7 AM this morning, Augustine Paul (Pablo), Omoboriowo Damilola (Dr Bush), and a few members of the class were already waiting at the faculty for other members and lecturers. The number of students waiting kept increasing, and at about quarter past 10 AM, the students’ patience was rewarded. The examination coordinator finally decided to grant them an audience to listen to their complaints. He assured them that he would pass their complaints to the Dean, and they should expect the outcome before the end of the day. The President, Obafemi Awolowo University Medical student Association, Lolu Akinteye, and the Honorable Speaker of the IFUMSA Parliament, Adeosun Joshua, were also present to communicate the students’ grievances to the authorities.
A few hours later, the Coordinator announced a change of date on both classes’ online platforms. The part 3 class Medical Board exam, which was initially scheduled to commence on 20th of September 2021, was moved to 15th of November 2021, while the part 2 class Medical Board exam, which was initially scheduled to commence on 18th of October 2021, was now shifted forward by a week. They would now be commencing on the 11th of October 2021.
The news of the two months extension changed the mood of the entire Exypnos class and eliminated the worry on the faces of members of the class. It restored some form of normalcy, and a large fraction of the class believes they can now go about their business, executing their studying plan without any pressure. While some feel the extension is extreme, others feel it’s best for their preparation.
The power of speaking out in unity