Nursing students take to the streets

Students of nursing and paramedical institutes in the city took to the streets on Tuesday morning demanding a change in the course structure and the abolition of Order 167, which mandates a minimum passing percentage of 65 per cent.

A group of students, numbering around 100, blocked the traffic at Wattayah roundabout in the morning for about half an hour, shouting slogans against their college administrations.

With the arrival of ROP personnel on the site, the crowd was swiftly moved to the centre of the roundabout and traffic was back to normal in a few minutes. Although the protesters had met the Minister of Health with their grievances on Monday, they chose to protest publicly as they felt their demands would not be met soon, said a student of Institute of Health Sciences, pursuing a four-year physiotherapy course.

Students from the Institute of Health Sciences, Oman Assistant Pharmacy Institute, Muscat Nursing Institute and Oman Nursing Institute took to the streets after boycotting their classes and plan to continue with their protest till their demands are met. “We had our exam today and we were threatened by teachers that we will not get a chance to appear for another exam, but we chose to demonstrate,” said Khalid wearing his white school uniform.

 “The first thing we want is to abolish Order 167 and to restore the old rule, according to which the minimum passing percentage was 50 per cent. The new order which was passed in 2009, also took away our right to sit for supplementary exams (or re-examination) upto four times. We now get only one chance if we fail to get 65 per cent,” said Ali, a student of Institute of Health Sciences.

Said a senior private doctor, “I don’t understand what our children are doing. How can patients trust a doctor or a nurse with low grades? Let them look for something else to do. I think they are just not studying enough.”

Another student said that the RO45 stipend they get is too little and should be hiked to RO90. “Students who come from outside Muscat get RO45 which amounts to just one and a half rials per day. With that money you can probably have one meal a day, nothing more. It was better before this new law came as we used to get food along with the stipend. We want the new order to go.”

The students also said they were overburdened with the course. “In some semesters we have to study 11 subjects, and sometimes take examinations in nine subjects in a week. As the course is mainly in English, it is very difficult for many of us. The foundation course is not of great help as everyone is forced to join the same level of foundation course, instead of having different levels according to each student's calibre. We want a system like SQU, where students take a test before they are enrolled in a foundation course to gauge their level of competence,” said a student.

 COUNTERVIEW

The healthcare profession is one that literally deals with life and death. The demand to lower the minimum marks required to pass the course is ridiculous and if allowed will only create a whole lot of healthcare professionals whose medical knowledge and skills are little better than the average man on the streets.

As it is, many of my fellow teachers and I are often pressured not to fail weak students, even those who clearly do not have the aptitude for such a profession. Would you entrust your life to someone’s care if they could not even pass their examinations properly?
Liz
Teacher at a medical college

It is sad to see so many protests around the country and today, sadly, some nursing and paramedical students too joined the ongoing protest. The present pass marks of 65 percent can be brought down as per the demands i.e. to 50 percent. But the demand to have four chances to appear for examinations is ridiculous. The management can consider granting two chances.
Dr Waleed al Shukaili
General Practitioner, Mabela Health Centre

The present system stipulating a minimum 65 per cent pass marks and one chance for a re-exam is good as it will make the students better medical professionals.
Dr Hassan al Lawati
Senior physician, Ministry of Health

The government might have made the changes as there were many complaints from patients about the inefficiency of paramedical and nursing staff. The government move also might be aimed at increasing the level of academic knowledge among the students.
Dr Farid Al Din
Quriyat Polyclinic