Strict scrutiny for approval of nursing colleges: Patil

Mangaluru: Medical education minister Sharanprakash R Patil said complaints regarding the mushrooming of illegal nursing colleges have prompted the govt to direct Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) to grant permissions only after thorough scrutiny of infrastructure and other mandatory facilities. Nursing admissions in the state are regulated by RGUHS and the Indian Nursing Council (INC).

Patil said that several colleges have come under scrutiny for alleged fraudulent activities, ranging from inadequate infrastructure to illegal admissions and forged documents. “We are now carrying out thorough scrutiny before granting permissions. No one should violate the rules, and that is why monitoring has been tightened,” he said.

On medical education, Patil said 550 additional MBBS seats have been added. He also noted that demand for BDS courses, which had seen a slump a few years ago, is now recovering, with most seats getting filled.

Patil, who was in the city to launch Industry Integrated Work Space at Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangaluru, on Saturday, said it was a significant move to deepen industry-academia collaboration and create a future-ready innovation ecosystem for students.

Speaking at the event, Patil said Karnataka’s present standing as a national hub for professional education was built on the foresight of earlier leaders, who in the 1960s and 1970s, enabled the growth of professional courses by allowing private institutions to establish colleges while the govt also made major investments, particularly in engineering and medical education. He said the result is that Karnataka now has among the highest numbers of engineering and medical colleges in the country, drawing students from across India for decades.

Patil said Karnataka’s rise as a preferred hub for education and employment is driven by its skilled and innovative youth, backed by responsive academic institutions. While academic degrees remain important, he stressed the growing need for innovation, applied science and industry-relevant skills.

He said the govt identified a major gap between technical education and industry requirements, with industry partners pointing to a shortage of job-ready engineering graduates. To bridge this, the govt has formed a skill council comprising industry leaders, academicians and officials to identify future skill demands over the next five years.

The govt has also worked with the higher education and IT-BT departments to restructure curricula and align teaching methods with industry needs. Patil added that industry linkage programmes are being expanded to connect employers with students, while language labs for Japanese and German are being introduced to boost overseas employability.