The Ogun State Government says the admission process for candidates into its College of Nursing Sciences for 2024 and subsequent academic calendars will be done through the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME).

The Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, made this known in a statement on Thursday, January 25, 2024.

Coker stated that the government had demonstrated its resolution to foster standardisation of nursing education by securing collegiate status for its erstwhile School of Nursing and Midwifery in 2021, through the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria (NMCN).

The commissioner noted that the state also secured accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) in 2023.

This, according to her, empowers the college to award Ordinary National Diploma (OND) and Higher National Diploma (HND).

She added that it is now a requirement for prospective candidates to commence admission into the colleges through the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB).

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Coker said: “Governor Dapo Abiodun has supported us continually in our resolve to reform the educational aspect of the nursing profession.

“Our rationale for this reform is founded on the pivotal roles nurses play in healthcare delivery. If we desire the best health outcomes, the schools that produce our nurses must offer nothing but the best form of education.

“This government will continue to ensure that only the best candidates gain admission to the campuses of our College of Nursing in Abeokuta, Ijebu-Ode, and Ilaro; and more importantly, only the best students make it through the institutions.

“This will ensure that our registered nurses are highly productive anywhere they work, whether at home or outside the shores of the country.”

The commissioner further stated that only candidates with a minimum of five credits, including English Language, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics at not more than two sittings in the West African Secondary School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) and Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) can apply for the OND/HND Nursing programme.

She added that the UTME subject combination must be Use of English, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

According to her, only successful candidates who meet the minimum cut-off marks will be invited for screening/interview.

Coker, however, warned prospective candidates to be wary of fraudsters just as she stated that the government no longer conducts sale of entrance examination forms.

She enjoined candidates to visit the JAMB website and select any of the three campuses of the college from the listed state monotechnics.

The Star