Karnataka: Regulatory committee formed to monitor free structure in nursing colleges

Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil has said that a fee regulatory committee has been formed to monitor and regulate the fee structure in nursing colleges across the State to address the issue of escalating fees being imposed by them. 

Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil has said that a fee regulatory committee has been formed to monitor and regulate the fee structure in nursing colleges across the State to address the issue of escalating fees being imposed by them. 

During a review meeting of nursing institutions on Monday, Dr. Patil disclosed that his office had received numerous complaints regarding the excessive fees charged by nursing colleges that have placed a heavy financial burden on students. 

The newly-constituted five-member fee regulatory committee, headed by the joint secretary of the Medical Education Department, will be tasked with scrutinising the fee structures. The Minister has instructed the department officials to “withdraw the Essential Certificate & Feasibility Certificate (EC&FC) of any nursing college found imposing fees beyond the government-prescribed limits.”

Presently, the fee structure for nursing students stands at ₹10,000 for students admitted under the government quota, ₹1 lakh under management quota, and ₹1.4 lakh for non-Karnataka students, states a release from the Minister’s office. 

There are 35,000 seats available across 611 nursing colleges in Karnataka. The Minister recently rejected a request from nursing college managements to increase the fee structure by 20%. The committee’s jurisdiction will extend to both B.Sc. Nursing and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) diploma programmes. 

In addition, Dr. Patil directed Principal Secretary of Medical Education Mohammed Mohsin to convene a meeting with district Deputy Commissioners to inspect the infrastructure and basic facilities at GNM colleges at the taluk and district levels. The inspection reports are to be submitted within a month. For B.Sc. Nursing colleges, Director of Medical Education B.L. Sujatha Rathod was instructed to form a panel for inspection and submit a report promptly. 

“We have received reports that many nursing colleges lack essential facilities such as adequate teaching and non-teaching staff, libraries, laboratories, and hygiene. Despite charging substantial fees, they fail to provide the required facilities. Permission for such colleges should be withdrawn if they are found guilty,” Dr. Patil told the meeting.