### Nursing Students from Tirupati School of Nursing Meet Health Minister

**Udaipur,  Hundreds of students from Tirupati School of Nursing, operating under Pacific Medical University, Udaipur, met with the Honorable Health Minister today to discuss their grievances regarding the college's accreditation and RN number. They submitted a memorandum expressing their concerns and announced a protest in Jaipur tomorrow from 10 AM to 4 PM in front of the Health Minister.

Nursing student Vikas Sarang stated that the future of more than 300 nursing students studying at Tirupati School of Nursing is at stake. The government's decision to revoke the college's accreditation has caused significant unrest among the students. For several days, students have been expressing their distress to the college management, urging them to present their case to the government to seek justice. Despite the management's efforts, the issue remains unresolved.

The education of nursing students is overseen by two government agencies: the Indian Nursing Council (INC) and the Rajasthan Nursing Council (RNC). Students enrolled at Tirupati School of Nursing from 2016-17 to 2020-21 were granted accreditation by both agencies, and they joined the college based on this recognition. Scholarships were also approved and provided by the state government to these students.

On January 13, 2022, the government issued a letter stating that the accreditation was revoked from 2021-22. However, the letter did not mention that the order would affect students from previous batches. The predicament of these students is that they enrolled based on accreditation, received scholarships, but now their future is uncertain. Many have taken loans to complete their education and are now struggling to repay them as they have been jobless for two years and are facing severe mental stress.

To resolve this issue, the state government formed a committee through the RNC, and the committee's report found everything to be in order. The RNC has submitted its report to the government, but no decision has been made yet.

"My father works a private job and took a bank loan to fund my education. He is repaying the loan along with managing household expenses and supporting my younger siblings. I thought completing my nursing course would ease his burden, but now I don't know what will happen." - Vikas Sarang, Nursing Student

"My father borrowed money from a moneylender to fund my education. How will we repay it now? I was his only hope." - Harsh Taylor, Nursing Student

"I received a scholarship for all four years of my nursing education. If the college wasn't accredited, why did the government provide scholarships?" - Kirti Kumari, Nursing Student

"My mother manages the household with a small job and sold our land to fund my education. How will we survive now?" - Rahul, Nursing Student

"Tirupati School of Nursing offers world-class facilities and adheres to all necessary regulations for high-quality training. This entire issue seems to be influenced by prejudice, and we urge for an immediate resolution keeping in mind the students' future." - Rahul Agrawal, Chairperson, Pacific Medical University