Sylhet Bureau :
Ignoring the rain, students and nurses studying in diploma nursing and midwifery in various institutions of Sylhet division have launched a protest with a one-point demand titled ‘Not a diploma after HSC, but an equivalent degree instead of a diploma’.
The leaders of the diploma nursing and midwifery degree implementation committee of the division started a program in front of the Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar from Monday (May 12) morning. At this time, several hundred students took up positions there.
At this time, the students started chanting slogans, ‘My demand is only one, I want a degree for my diploma’, ‘There is no place for discrimination in my golden Bengal’.
The students said that students are admitted to nursing or midwifery diploma courses for 3 years after the HSC examination across the country, including Sylhet. After the 3-year diploma, they also have to do a mandatory 6-month internship. But the certificate after this diploma is not given the equivalent of a degree. This puts many diploma holders in trouble.
Students also said that even when applying for higher education abroad, the diploma is not given the equivalent of a degree, which is evaluated as HSC equivalent or pre-degree level. Many developed countries including Europe, Canada, Australia, and the United States accept only Bachelor of Science in Nursing or equivalent degree holders for higher education. As a result, many do not get special privileges in their higher education.
In addition, certain credit hours are required for admission to universities in many countries, which are less in diploma courses. This also puts diploma holders in trouble, and students even miss out on good opportunities.
In view of this, students have been holding movements and programs for a long time to make the 3-year diploma in nursing and midwifery equivalent to degrees after the HSC examination.
For this reason, it is known that these students have started a movement with a 1-point demand to make their diplomas equivalent to degrees, ignoring the observance of International Nurses Day today.
