After Law Academy, SME campus of MG University on the boil

Student unrest continues to affect the smooth functioning of colleges across the state. After Nehru Engineering College in Thrissur and Kerala Law Academy, Thiruvananthapuram, the focus has now shifted to School of Medical Education (SME) in Kottayam. 
 

The students have been up in arms against uncertainty regarding recognition for 15 paramedical and nursing courses offered by SME. The validity of courses offered at the school of Mahatma Gandhi University (MGU) is still under the cloud while the time for admission of next batch is nearing, Student outfits have started indefinite protests in the university demanding urgent steps to resolve the issue. 
 

The validity issue came up as Kerala Public Service Commission issued a directive to students to furnish an equivalency certificate from Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS) while applying for jobs in government sector. 
 

However, KUHS rejected the applications of students, who had successfully completed paramedical and nursing courses at SME. KUHS had found that syllabus of MGU did not measure to the standards of health varsity. Further, admissions under government quota at SME too will cease following an official decision of KUHS about the standard of the syllabus. However, MGU has not received any such intimation from KUHS in this regard. 
 

The MGU is of the opinion that KUHS Act must be amended to allow other universities offer medical courses as per Kerala Technological University Act, 2015. They are not ready to run courses having KUHS recognition and is also interested to handover SME to some other agency. An attempt to hand over SME to State Institute of Medical Education and Technology was not fruitful. In the absence of any takers, MGU is likely to discontinue the courses from coming academic year. 

• SME
• MGU
• MG University
• Law Academy
• Student strike
• Kerala Public Service Commission
• KUHS