KARACHI: Entry tests made mandatory: Govt nursing schools
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, Feb 9: The Sindh health department has decided that admissions to government-run nursing schools in the province would strictly be based on entry test in future and training institutions both in the government and private sectors will have to follow the admission policy given by the Sindh nursing directorate.
Sources in Sindh health department said that secretary of the provincial health department was perturbed over the reports that some of the institutions continued granting admissions till January 20, while the cut off date in this regard was November 30, 2006.
It was learnt that the government schools would be required to issue merit lists separately prior to admissions, which would be based on entry tests being introduced in the style of medical college admissions. The idea was to get the talented and competent students admitted to government nursing schools across the province, added the source.
Moreover, government in principle has also decided to increase the monthly tuition fee of students taking admissions under self- finance scheme to Rs1,000 per month. At present the self-financed students are required to pay Rs5,000 as admission fees and Rs500 per month as tuition fee.
In the meantime at a meeting of Sindh Nurses Board, which was chaired by the health secretary, Dr Naushad Sheikh, it was resolved that the trainee nurses of schools remaining short of attendance would not be allowed to take the nursing exams under the board.
It was also decided that the board would ensure timely enrolment of the nursing students and help the nursing directorate implement a revised and transparent admission policy. Some new members from the private sector institutions will be inducted in the board, the source said, adding that Director Nursing Sindh has specially been empowered to oversee the board matters as a vice-chairman.
The board also decided to hold a prize and certificate distribution ceremony in March for position holders of nursing examinations. Dr Naushad, who is also the chairman of the board, also sanctioned electricity generators for the board’s building.
The controller of the board, Talat Shah, also presented the results of various nursing examinations for the annual session, September 2006 at the meeting, which was approved accordingly.
In all 2,316 students were enrolled for the preliminary nursing examination, while the pass percentage remained as 74.20. The pass percentage in the final year nursing examination, which was taken by 750 candidates, came as 84.25. As many as 15, 363 and 1,617 students took the Post Basic Cardiac Nursing Examination, Nurse Midwife Examination and Second Year Nursing Examination respectively.
