Karnataka minister enforces fee controls for nursing colleges

Karnataka's Medical Education & Skill Development Minister, Dr. Sharan Prakash Patil, in response to the rising fees charged by nursing colleges throughout the state, has mandated the creation of a fee regulatory committee to oversee and control the fee structures of these institutions.

At a review meeting with nursing institutions held at his Vikasa Soudha office on Sep 2, Dr. Patil revealed that his office had been inundated with complaints about the exorbitant fees imposed by nursing colleges, which have significantly burdened students financially.

The newly established five-member committee, led by the Joint Secretary of the Medical Education Department, will be responsible for examining and regulating the fee structures of these colleges.

"Withdraw the Essential Certificate & Feasibility Certificate (EC&FC) of any nursing college found imposing fees beyond the government-prescribed limits," Dr. Patil instructed department officials.

The current fee structure for nursing colleges is set at ₹10,000 for students admitted under the government quota, ₹1 lakh for those under the management quota, and ₹1.40 lakh for students from outside Karnataka.

The state has 35,000 seats available across 611 nursing colleges.

Dr. Patil recently turned down a proposal from nursing college management to raise fees by 20%. The new committee will oversee both B.Sc. Nursing and General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) diploma programs.

Additionally, Dr. Patil instructed the Principal Secretary of Medical Education, Mohammed Moshin, to organize a meeting with district Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to assess the infrastructure and basic facilities at GNM colleges at the taluk and district levels.

Inspection reports are expected within a month. For B.Sc. nursing colleges, Dr. B.L. Sujatha Rathod, Director of Medical Education, has been directed to establish a panel for inspections and submit a report without delay.

"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,” Dr. Patil emphasized during the meeting.

“Permission for such colleges should be withdrawn if they are found guilty," he added.

The minister also instructed officials to verify that nursing institutions are solely offering nursing courses.

"Revoke the permissions of institutions that are conducting multiple courses in the same building," he said.

The meeting was attended by Dr. Ramesh, Vice-Chancellor of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Registrar PR Shivaprasad, and Venkatesh Murthy, Joint Secretary of Medical Education.