Nursing students in Baleshwar district, pushed to the brink after years of academic limbo, finally forced authorities to act.
The Odisha Nursing and Midwives Registration Council (ONMRC) has issued notices to 16 nursing colleges across the district, directing them to submit detailed reports within two days on why examinations have not been conducted despite admissions.
The crisis erupted into the open yesterday when hundreds of nursing students staged a protest demonstration outside Fakir Mohan University. Many students, enrolled in four-year B.Sc. Nursing or GNM programmes, revealed they had already completed six years without appearing for even a single university examination. Several colleges, allegedly running without proper recognition, had admitted students but failed to get them registered or schedule exams, leaving their careers hanging in uncertainty.
The agitation turned intense as students confronted university officials, with reports of them pushing and jostling the Vice-Chancellor in frustration. Today, the pressure mounted further when students gathered near the District Collector’s office and surrounded Higher Education Minister Suryabanshi Suraj during his visit to the district. They pleaded for immediate intervention to end the prolonged delay that has derailed their futures.
The ONMRC, which had remained largely inactive despite repeated complaints, was compelled to respond. The notices ask the 16 colleges to explain the reasons behind the exam delays and submit compliance reports at the earliest.
The episode has once again exposed serious gaps in the regulation of nursing education in the state, where students’ time, money and dreams have been wasted due to administrative apathy.
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