Karnataka High Court order puts nursing colleges in a fix

Source – deccanchronicle.com

Bengaluru: The future of over two lakh nursing students in the state has become a big question mark after the Karnataka High Court held that Indian Nursing Council (INC) had no authority to recognise nursing colleges in the state.

According to Prof Girijamba Devi, secretary of Karnataka chapter of Trained Nurses Association of India (TNAI), the verdict has made the entire nursing fraternity of the state upset. “With our students’ educational and professional life at stake, the latest order has shocked us,” she said.

The government should take necessary steps to reciprocate the circumstances taking steps to safeguards the future of the students, she added.

INC accreditation
Sources say that the unique INC accreditation number is even used to verify the validity of the degree outside India. “The unique INC number attached to each institution is considered equally important as the degree in all countries abroad and is seen as the basic scale for document verification,” said a highly placed official in the nursing sector.  While Prof Devi ascertains that the presence of an apex body is quintessential to follow a pedagogical structure to keep up with the standards of the industry, Dr K Ramu, state advisor of Student Nurses Association points out the importance of the accreditation during placements even outside Karnataka, from where 90 per cent of students hail from.

Availability of loans
While a big share of student nurses obtain financial aid from bank loans, the latest development has made it difficult for even the students currently pursuing nursing courses to continue. “The banks are now refusing loans stating the absence of an INC recognition, which has added to the degree of panic faced by the students,” Dr Ramu added.

He added that the association is now seeking advice from the executive council of TNAI to further legal procedures. “The welfare of the students as well as the nursing fraternity is our basic priority. We are studying legal developments to decide how to take this forward,” said Dr Ramu.

Managements face heat
With students beginning to drop off, the college managements are also panicky. “Even before us receiving a copy of the latest verdict, we have been receiving numerous calls and letters from the students seeking fee refund and release of their documents,” said a principal from a nursing college in the city on condition of anonymity. He felt an intervention by higher bodies could bring the situation under control.  “The college authorities had promised that the situation would get better after the verdict, but now it is high time I relocate to another state to continue my education,” said Reena, a student from Kerala.