Assam govt. issues notification to act against fake paramedical institutes
Udalguri: As the demand for paramedical education surges, unrecognized institutions have proliferated across the Udalguri district.
Recently, one such institute drew significant attention after its dean was arrested.
Operating under the name Assam Paramedical and Nursing Academy (APNA) in Tangla, this fraudulent institute allegedly defrauded numerous students out of lakhs of rupees.
The deception was revealed when the institution failed to provide practical training and could not issue certificates to its students.
The dean had falsely claimed affiliation with an obscure, unrecognized university in Karnataka, attracting many unsuspecting students.
Reports indicate that three unrecognized paramedical institutions currently operate in Tangla town.
Two of these claim affiliation with Bharat Sevak Samaj, a national development agency, while the third asserts affiliation with the State Council for Vocational Education of the Assam Government.
These institutions lack basic infrastructure, qualified faculty, and laboratories but still offer numerous courses, including medical laboratory technician, nursing assistant, X-ray and ECG technician, and ANM courses.
The Medical Education and Research Department of Assam has addressed this issue in an order (notification No. MER 307386/2 dated June 6, 2023), mandating that all paramedical institutions offering education in Nursing, Pharmacy, and Allied Health Sciences in Assam must affiliate with Srimanta Sankaradeva University of Health Sciences (SSUHS).
Institutions with other affiliations must migrate to SSUHS starting in the 2023-2024 academic year.
The order also stipulates that admissions to these institutions must be through a common entrance examination conducted by SSUHS from the 2023-2024 academic year onward.
“It has come to our attention that some private institutions are causing significant disruption in the health education sector by misleading students with fake degrees and diplomas. Therefore, Deputy Commissioners are directed to take necessary measures to stop these institutes from operating and to ensure they obtain regulatory recognition from the government and affiliation from SSUHS,” stated the order signed by then Commissioner & Secretary to the Government of Assam Medical Education & Research Department, Siddharth Singh.
Despite these directives, a lack of awareness and enforcement by district and state authorities has allowed several such institutions to continue deceiving students.
Concerned citizens and student organizations have called on the Udalguri district administration to take decisive action against these institutions, bringing them under regulatory oversight to protect the future of students pursuing paramedical careers.