Rupandehi: The seven nursing colleges of Rupandehi district which were padlocked by the All Nepal National Free Student Union (ANNFSU) are yet to reopen.

The ANNFSU which padlocked these colleges two months ago claims that the colleges had not met any standard and had been charging higher fee from the students.

The colleges have charged a student with Rs. 510, 000 for the nursing courses. The fee charged by these colleges is very high in comparison to others colleges of country.

Babu Ram Panthi, Secretariat member of ANNFSU, blamed that out of seven only two colleges of district have had been fulfilling 50 per cent standard fixed by the Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT). Students blame that teachers who teach at the colleges are not qualified and the colleges are without well facilitated library.

Panthi claimed that they would not allow opening the colleges till they upgrade the standard as per the directives of the CTEVT. A team of the journalist has been formed to resolve the problems and it has started holding dialogues with the collage authorities and students leaders.

Likewise, Maoist Students wing, All Nepal National Independent Students Union Revolutionary (ANNISU-R) has also supported the ANNFSU lockout of the colleges.

Recently, CTEVT fee fixation teams have issued directives that a nursing college can charge a maximum of Rs. 3, 90, 000 from each student. Students have also demanded for the implementation of the government report.

The nursing council has announced that to operate a nursing college the owners must be having a hundred-bed hospital. Likewise, CTEVT asked each college to have a 50-bed hospital to operate the college. But at Rupandehi, only three colleges have their own hospitals, but they too lack the facilities as required by the CTEVT.

Despite all the problems, three other colleges have taken licenses stating that they would run practical courses at the lumbini Zonal Hospital.

According to Nepal Nursing Council and CTEVT, three patients are needed for a nursing student. But more than 10 students look after one patient in the district.

Ram Prasad Pandey, Accountant of the Lumbini hospital informed that around one thousand students have been coming to the hospital to do their internship annually.

source: RisingNepal, 5 Nov 2011