By Ijoo Bosco
At least one hundred and eighty-six (186) medical students at Torit Health Science Institute are sitting for the National Health Professional Examination Board (NHPEB) exams.
The NHPEB examination started on Monday.
The State Minister of General Education, Koteen Thomas Piya, advised the students to be confident without panicking during the two weeks of national examination exercises.
Mr. Koteen observed that the students are prepared for the national health professional examination, and he hopes the state will lead the rest of the institutes across the country.
“I am very glad today because I see your faces are also shining and glad. Time has come; you have been really waiting for this time for three years. It’s the right time now,” he said.
“I know you people are very well prepared because what you are going to face is not an enemy; it’s something friendly; you have been with it throughout this period of three years,” Koteen continued.
He noted that the students are going to get all that they have been taught in the class for the past three years in the exams.
“What the tutors have already given you is what you are going to see in those papers, and I am very sure all of you are going to succeed. Since you people have read, you have studied very well, and I wish to see you leading some of the national institutes this time,” he lamented.
However, the state education minister revealed that over eight (8) medical students have been suspended from writing the examination by the National Ministry of Health over illegal enrollment and training on weekend programmes.
Koteen also stated that the state has been accused of introducing a programme that is not in line with the South Sudan curriculum; hence, the national health ministry suspended the eight students pending investigation by a committee to be formed and sent into Torit.
The committee will have to assess the students before they might be pardoned to sit for the national medical examination.
He added that, out of all their pleas to the national ministry, they were not allowing the students to sit for this exam unless the committee did an assessment of the students taught in the illegally introduced weekend programmes in the state institution.
Etin Concord, Director General for Health and Environment in the Eastern Equatoria State Health Ministry, commended the students for committing themselves up to the time of the national exams, despite the challenges they might have endured in the process.
He encouraged the students to enter their examination with the hope of passing the papers as a usual test they were being provided in the process of the three years to gauge their competency in their respective fields.
He also challenged the students to only return to the institutes as tutors, not as people who need to repeat classes for another year.
“Hon. Minister, these are your candidates who are leaving the school; nobody is coming back here to accept me as a tutor,” Etin said
“I have been here for 15 minutes. I have seen all of you happy, and I think the star is there amidst the crowd. You were singing and laughing, which means you are well prepared, so be good candidates. Let’s hope we shall celebrate with you at the end of all the struggles,” he expressed.
He noted that the number of candidates this year is greater compared to last year, saying Torit Health Science Institutes has registered 186 fresh students with 18 supplementary students brought from Kapoeta South to sit under the THI Centre.
The national exam invigilator, Madam Labeng Joyce, encouraged the students to have faith in themselves in order to face the examinations as ordinary exercises they used to do amongst themselves as students.
She urged the medical students to be bold and avoid distractive thoughts that might deter their minds from answering questions at their tables.
“There is nothing that we can say apart from saying success. All that you have been struggling with, this is the time to just rejoice with your paper. When you are writing, don’t even think that ooh, this is what it’s just the usual thing. Don’t have that thought that can distract you from writing that paper,” Labeng advised.