BSc (Bachelor in Science) Nursing students have urged Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) in Warangal, Telangana to relax admission criteria as around 2,000 seats in the management category remain unfilled. There are 112 nursing colleges that offer BSc Nursing with a total intake of 6,500 in Telangana. Of them, 21 government-run colleges have 1,500 seats, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
About 91 private unaided nursing colleges are there with a strength of about 5,000. Admissions under the convener quota will be done by the university while the management quota seats are filled by the management of the nursing colleges. Additionally, BSc Nursing admissions are being carried out by KNRUHS on the basis of marks obtained in the intermediate (BiPC or Biology, Physics and Chemistry) exams.
For the first time in a decade, the university changed the admission system this year and made it mandatory for students to clear the Engineering Agricultural and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET) and the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to the course for convener and management category seats as per the guidelines of the Indian Nursing Council. Because of this, about 3,000 seats were filled and 3,500 remained unfilled due to the lack of qualified students. To note, two web counselling sessions were conducted till October 17.
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Karnataka, and Maharashtra relaxed the admission criteria and permitted the students for selection with 0% percentile who applied for the qualifying test. The students of Telangana and the management of nursing colleges are unhappy and have sought relaxation of the rules.
Therefore, the Indian Nursing Council relaxed the admission criteria in its circular on November 7 and permitted the students with 0 percentile in the qualifying test. Later, on the same day, KNRUHS also notified a revised circular relaxing the rules for admissions for the seats of BSc(N) convenor quota only permitting the students with 0 percentile. They did not relax the criteria of the NEET exam for management quota even though the Indian Nursing Council permitted it in its circular, as stated in a report by The New Indian Express.
