The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved amendments that recognize medical fellowships as equivalent to a PhD for academic promotion and career progression in Nigerian universities.
Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, announced the decision after Wednesday’s FEC meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu. He explained that the amendments to the National Postgraduate Medical College Act will be forwarded to the National Assembly for legislative approval.
Medical professionals have long argued that fellowships from institutions such as the National Medical College of Nigeria (NMCN) and the West African Postgraduate Medical College (WAPMC) are rigorous enough in training and research to match PhD standards.
The Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria (MDCAN) and the National Universities Commission (NUC) had previously agreed in 2020 that a PhD should not be mandatory for clinical consultants to rise to professorial ranks. However, concerns remained about discrimination in leadership appointments, particularly in the selection of vice-chancellors, where a PhD is often required.
The government’s approval is expected to ease these tensions, aligning academic recognition with the professional realities of medical training while strengthening the career pathways of clinical lecturers.
