After finding a fake nursing college run by a Christian organization, the future of over 300 students who had completed their course is doomed.
Tirunelveli district has been in the news continuously for the wrong reasons. Christian missionaries manage a lot of educational institutions, like schools and colleges. One such institution is a fake nursing college.
Annai Velankanni Nursing College has been functioning for the past five years near Murugankurichi Vaikkalpalayam. It had falsely promised aspiring nursing candidates that it was an approved institution, and they would be given diplomas at the end of the course.
According to ABVP state joint secretary Gautham Raja, “When the students went for joining in hospitals for training and job and on verification, it was found that their certificate is not valid. The college was not recognized by any medical university or IMA. The college principal still maintains that it is a recognized college and the certificates given by they are valid. Interestingly, none of the students were given register number, roll number etc. We have presented a memorandum to the District collecting seeking action against the fake college.” Over 300 affected students have been protesting for the past ten days defying the police permission.
In 2019, the President of the Association of Tamil Nadu Nursing Colleges, Balaji, told the media in Vellore that it is obligatory to get permission from Indian Nursing Council and the state government to start a new nursing college. In Tamil Nadu alone, about 2000 fake nursing colleges are offering courses with a duration of 1 or 2 years after collecting lakhs from students and parents. He said nearly 40,000 students have been cheated through these fake nursing colleges, causing enormous time and money loss. Fake nursing colleges cannot be appropriately registered. Students should join colleges only after verifying the genuineness of the college on the nursing council’s official website. The genuinely registered nursing college offers only 3-year nursing courses, he said.
Madras High Court (in 2017) issued notice to the Indian Nursing Council and the Tamil Nadu Nurses and Midwives Council on a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking immediate action against fake nursing institutions across the State. According to the petitioner, many nursing colleges were functioning without proper infrastructure and approval from the authorities concerned in various parts of the State, including Thanjavur, Thiruvarur and Nagapattinam and other districts.
The Tamil Nadu Nursing Council has urged the government to end thousands of nursing courses offered in the state that aren’t recognized by the national or state councils.
In Ramanathapuram, at Thiruvarangam, St. Hearts Higher secondary school Maths teacher, Arokya Arul Thomas of the district was arrested for sexually assaulting a 12th girl student. Now three more students have made similar complaints against him. The Head Master did not take action against complaints from students.
In another incident, a Nagapattinam based St Antony’s Hr. Sec. School students are compelled to pay Rs. 2000 or more to get Transfer Certificates. In a video, school HM David Selvakumar was heard justifying the same. The Christian educational institutions once reckoned for their quality education are now becoming inhuman and centres for conversion and sexual attacks.
