The Sangam College of Nursing has strongly denied claims that students with low exam scores are being admitted through “backdoor” entry, saying its intake process is rigorous and transparent.
In a statement on Friday, the college stated that remarks reported in The Fiji Times on Thursday, August 14 — in an article headlined “Backdoor school entries should end” — did not reflect its operations.
The article quoted chief nursing and midwifery officer Colleen Wilson and Fiji Nursing Council director Silina Waqa-Ledua, the latter claiming some nursing students had scored as low as 25 percent in English and 23 percent in biology.
College Academic and Staff Board chairman Amraiya Naidu said the institution’s recruitment process was “robust” and overseen by a selection committee that strictly followed minimum entry requirements approved by the board.
“Applications open in October each year, and the minimum entry requirement is advertised simultaneously,” Mr Naidu said.
“The recruitment process has checks and balances to ensure the college meets the criteria set out by the Tertiary Scholarships and Loans Service.
“The public can access this information on the college’s website.” He said any insinuation or generalisation that “backdoor practices” occurred at the college was incorrect and should be “condemned categorically”.
“In addition, insinuating and generalising that backdoor practices are being conducted is incorrect and must be condemned categorically. It would be greatly appreciated if the Nursing Council Secretariat could provide more information about the alleged discrepancies.”
The two-day Strengthening Health Workforce in the Pacific (Nursing and Midwifery) workshop at Suva’s Holiday Inn brought together regional and local nursing leaders to address workforce challenges and training standards.