Karnataka govt. cracks down on nursing colleges charging exorbitant fees
Bengaluru, Sep 2: Karnataka Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Monday ordered the formation of a fee regulatory committee to monitor and regulate the fee structures of nursing colleges across the state amid complaints about exorbitant fees allegedly being charged by them.
During a review meeting of nursing institutions here, Patil disclosed that his office had received numerous complaints regarding the excessive fees charged by nursing colleges, which 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, he said.
“Withdraw the Essential Certificate and Feasibility Certificate (EC&FC) of any nursing college found imposing fees beyond the government-prescribed limits,” Patil instructed department officials.
According to him, Currently, the fee structure stands at Rs 10,000 per year for students admitted under the government quota, Rs one lakh under the management quota, and Rs 1.40 lakh for non-Karnataka students.
There are 35,000 seats available across 611 nursing colleges in the state.
Patil recently rejected a request from nursing college managements to increase the fee structure by 20 per cent.
The committee’s oversight will extend to both B.Sc. Nursing and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) diploma programmes.
In addition, the Minister has directed the 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, the Director of Medical Education, Dr 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 standards. Despite charging substantial fees, they fail to provide the required facilities. Permission for such colleges should be withdrawn if they are found guilty,” Patil said during the meeting.
The Minister further directed officials to ensure that nursing institutions ran exclusively nursing courses. “Revoke the permissions of institutions that are conducting multiple courses in the same building,” he stated.
ಇಂದು ವಿಕಾಸಸೌಧದಲ್ಲಿ ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಹತ್ವದ ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಸಿದೆ.
— Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil (@S_PrakashPatil) September 2, 2024
ರಾಜ್ಯದಲ್ಲಿರುವ ನರ್ಸಿಂಗ್ ಕಾಲೇಜುಗಳ ಶುಲ್ಕ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಕೂಡಲೇ ಪ್ರಾಧಿಕಾರ ರಚನೆ ಮಾಡುವಂತೆ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿಗೆ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದೆ.
ವೈದ್ಯಕೀಯ ಶಿಕ್ಷಣ ಇಲಾಖೆಯ ಜಂಟಿ ಕಾರ್ಯದರ್ಶಿಗಳ ನೇತೃತ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ 5 ಜನ ಸದಸ್ಯರುಗಳ ಶುಲ್ಕ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣ… pic.twitter.com/z70IJQZ9RR
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Irreparable loss for all of us, EY says on death of 26-year old CA due to workload
New Delhi, Sep 18: Ernst & Young on Wednesday issued a statement after the death of a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant allegedly due to extreme work pressure at the firm, went viral on social media and turned the spotlight on work-related stress.
"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024," EY said.
Since the death, EY has been in touch with the family, helping them but it is only now that her family has chosen to write to the company, complaining about the "excessive workload".
EY said it would continue to improve and provide a healthy workplace in its offices throughout the country.
Anna Sebastian Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023, worked at EY Pune office for four months before she succumbed. Her mother this month wrote to EY India chairman Rajiv Memani flagging the 'glorification' of overwork at the multinational consulting firm.
"Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us," the EY said in the statement.
It went on to state that while no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, the firm has provided all the assistance and will continue to do so.
"We are taking the family's correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India," it added.
