BENGALURU: While the tussle between the state government and the Indian Nursing Council (INC) continues, nursing students are worried their future could be at stake as they could have a hard time finding placements. outside the state or abroad.
It all started in December 2016 when the state government ordered that INC approval was not mandatory for nursing colleges in Karnataka and they needed recognition only from the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) and the Karnataka State Nursing Council (KNC).
Seeing the Karnataka nursing institutions taking their own decisions and paying no attention to its norms, the INC removed them from the list of its recognised colleges on its portal in May this year and did the same when it updated its website on November 15. In the absence of INC recognition students are afraid they may get no jobs outside Karnataka or abroad. The colleges have since approached the court demanding that INC restore their recognition, but with the verdict still pending students are getting restive. Some are even considering quitting their courses in Karnataka and applying to colleges in other states.
"Our parents have been asking us to discontinue our course here and apply to other colleges outside the state. But some of us are planning to stay on at least till the end of the academic year," said Ms Anju, a first year student.
Added a final year student, Ms Reena from Kerala, "The colleges had promised us that the issue would be resolved in court and we would graduate as INC recognised nurses. But forget about going abroad, the current situation stops us from even getting placed in hospitals in our hometowns."
Besides placements, nursing students are having a tough time getting loans from banks for their courses in the absence of INC recognition for their colleges. "This is causing us tremendous agony as it a matter of money which we need for our education," said a few students.
Dr A.T.S. Giri, prinicipal of Goutham College of Nursing said the colleges had advised students to request the bank authorities to approach the INC directly to certify them as bonafide nursing students. "As the matter is still in court, we are advising the students to wait a while before taking a final call. As educators and workers in this social sector, we are hopeful of a student-friendly decision from the court," he added.
