Why Rohtak health varsity has put nursing exams on hold

Students pursuing Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM), General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM), and Multi-Purpose Health Worker (MPHW) courses in various government and private colleges across Haryana were preparing for their theory examinations scheduled from July 20. However, they faced a setback after Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak (UHSR), issued a notice postponing the exams until further orders, citing administrative reasons. The authorities were forced to withhold the examinations after detecting discrepancies in the exam forms.

• What discrepancies has the UHSR detected in nursing exam forms?
  Advertisement

  During the scrutiny of examination forms for ANM, GNM and MPHW courses, the UHSR authorities found several discrepancies in student records. The major issue was the detection of duplicate HNRC registration numbers, where multiple students had claimed the same registration number. Since every student is assigned a unique number after registration with the Haryana Nurses Registration Council, duplication of the number raises questions about the identity, eligibility and authenticity of the candidates.

• Why has the UHSR put the examinations on hold?
  Advertisement

  The university has withheld the exams to ensure that no ineligible or fake candidate appears in the examination process. UHSR officials said conducting exams without verifying such discrepancies could compromise the fairness and credibility of the examination system. The university has now called the colleges concerned for meetings to understand how duplicate registrations occurred and whether any deliberate wrongdoing was involved.

• How many students and colleges are affected?

  More than 21,000 students from around 150 government and private colleges across Haryana were scheduled to appear in the ANM, GNM and MPHW examinations. The discrepancies related to the HNRC registration numbers have so far been reported mainly from several private colleges. The university has also raised concerns over some colleges not responding despite repeated communications, making verification of student records difficult.

• What does the university have to say about the issue?
  Advertisement

  UHSR Vice-Chancellor Dr HK Aggarwal said the university was holding discussions with the colleges to identify the reasons behind the duplication and resolve the matter at the earliest. He said the university’s priority was to ensure that eligible students were not affected while preventing any ineligible candidate from appearing in the exams.”The university is duty-bound to ensure that no ineligible or fictitious candidate is permitted to appear in the examination, and at the same time, no genuine eligible student is deprived of the opportunity due to unresolved administrative or data discrepancies,” Dr Aggarwal added.

• What happens next?

  The university will verify the records submitted by the colleges and examine how the duplicate registration numbers appeared in the examination forms. The colleges have been asked to provide the necessary clarifications and supporting documents. The examinations, which were scheduled to begin on July 20 after online submission of forms started on June 27, will be conducted only after the verification process is completed. UHSR Controller of Examinations Sukhdev Singh Chandla said the registration number issued by the HNRC was a compulory requirement in the examination form as proof of a student’s identity and eligibility. The university has made it clear that no irregularity in the examination process will be allowed.