LEADER of Opposition in Chhattisgarh Assembly Dr Charan Das Mahant has strongly opposed the State Government’s reported move to take medical and paramedical courses out of the control of Ayush University and hand them over to private universities. Mahant has written to Governor Ramen Deka, urging him to intervene and stop the process in the larger public interest and keeping in view the future of lakhs of students. Mahant said medical, paramedical and other technical courses in Chhattisgarh have been conducted for the past 26 years under the Ayush University Act, 2008, and the Technical University Act. He claimed that around five lakh students in the State are currently pursuing these courses.

 

Raising objections to the proposed move, Mahant said the Ayush University Executive Council had already expressed its opposition to the proposal to hand over medical and paramedical courses to private universities. Despite this, the Government was proceeding with the process, which he termed inappropriate. He also said shifting these courses to private universities could make higher education significantly more expensive, putting medical education beyond the reach of meritorious students from economically weaker, rural and disadvantaged sections. Mahant further warned that introducing a parallel system by changing the existing arrangement could affect the credibility of the State’s medical education system, the integrity of examinations and the value of degrees. He urged the Governor to take immediate cognisance of the matter and direct the State Government to stop the process and continue the existing transparent and public-oriented system