Kasaragod: The Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) has withheld the 1st semester BSc nursing results of 24 nursing colleges of the state. The results of 1500 students in the colleges, including those which have started the academic year 2023-24 and have implemented seat increase, have been withheld. The reason for the action was that many new colleges and some that increased the number of seats did not get recognition of the Indian Nursing Council (INC).

The first semester results for the exam conducted in April were delayed than usual and published in July by KUHS. Normally, the results are published within two months of the conduct of exams. It was only after the publication of results that students learnt that their results had been withheld. Most of these are government colleges and government controlled self-financing colleges.

If a new nursing college is to be given KUHS affiliation, the state government’s no-objection letter and the approval of the INC and Kerala Nursing Council are required. It is also required to increase seats in existing colleges. Following the government’s intervention, KUHS gave temporary permission to these colleges to admit students even as INC approval was pending. KUHS had instructed that the INC approval letter should be produced soon. The university withheld the results as the colleges failed to produce the approval letter.

The problem now is the haste shown by the government to start new colleges without obtaining necessary approvals and without providing basic facilities. Last year, the government started the initial steps to start new colleges when the academic year was halfway through. Some private self-financing managements approached the court and obtained a favourable order to facilitate this. 

Although the INC conducted inspections in some colleges later, the approval was given for the year 2024-25. It is also not clear how the approval for the year 2023-24 will be obtained. A senior INC official said that it is the students who have to bear the brunt of starting colleges without recognition. This will adversely affect their higher education and career prospects.