PUDUCHERRY: In a bid to align with the precedent set by Tamil Nadu, the Puducherry Health Department is deliberating on seeking exemption from the Common Entrance Test (CET) for admissions to the BSc Nursing course for the academic year 2024-2025. The decision came in response to the appeal from the public, citing the exemption granted to Tamil Nadu.
Subsequently, Chief Minister N Rangasamy discussed with Director of Health and Family Welfare Dr G Sriramulu, who said, "We plan to retain the existing pattern of admission based on marks secured in the class 12 examination. Before writing to the Indian Nursing Council (INC), we are planning to withdraw the notification for conducting CET which was issued on April 15. The exemption granted to Tamil Nadu also affects nurses in Puducherry as they are registered under the Tamil Nadu Nursing Council will be cited. After the health secretary M Raju takes charge on Monday, the matter will be discussed."
The INC had introduced CET from the academic year 2023-24 but granted a one-time exemption to Puducherry upon the government's request. Hence, the health department geared up to conduct the exam and issued a notification on April 15 for the academic year 2024-2025, in compliance with INC regulations.
The Board of Examination of Nurses (BOEN) under the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, which has been tasked with conducting the CET, is yet to finalise the examination schedule. Meanwhile, the Registrar of Pondicherry University to which nursing colleges are affiliated, has advised the administration to establish modalities concerning BSc Nursing admissions through an entrance test.
The uncertainty surrounding the CET schedule has left students in a state of confusion, particularly with the looming deadline of June 15 and the admissions slated from August 1 to September 30. There are 880 BSc Nursing seats across 15 colleges, with 180 available in three government colleges and the rest in 12 private colleges. Across the government colleges, there are 80 seats in Mother Theresa Post Graduate Research Institute of Health Sciences, while its Karaikal branch offers 40 seats. The nursing college attached to Indira Gandhi Medical College and Research Institute offers 60 seats. Furthermore, the government is also planning to start another nursing college in the current academic year in Yanam with an intake of 40 seats.