Over 500 nursing students from seven institutions in Madurai district gathered at the Christian Mission Hospital here on Wednesday and staged a sit-in protest seeking immediate implementation of the G.O. 29.
The students thanked the government for passing the order which provides equal opportunity to private college students in government appointments.
Candlelight vigil
A candlelight vigil in support of the State government was held as part of the protest. Nearly 17,000 students graduated from about 370 private institutions for nursing every year, whereas, only 2,000 students passed out of government nursing colleges, they pointed out.
It was really hurting to know that for the past 30 years, not many students from private colleges had been inducted into government service, said C. Jothi Sophia, Principal, C.S.I Jeyaraj Annapackiam College of Nursing.
While private students from various professional backgrounds got government jobs, the nursing students alone were left in the lurch, she observed.
When students of both private and government colleges were employed by government hospitals in other States, Tamil Nadu government should not accept the demands of the government nursing students, said the agitating students.
Slogans They held placards and shouted slogans against the government nursing college students for refusing to recognise their basic right.
