PATNA: A notification issued by Hathua General Nursing and Midwifery (GNM) School in Gopalganj instructing all female students not to marry during the academic session or else their name would be removed from the college rolls has triggered a major controversy.Taking the matter seriously, the civil surgeon Dr Birendra Prasad canceled the order, categorically stating that a student’s right to education cannot be restricted on the basis of her marital status. “There is no such provision in any regulations of the health department or the Nursing Council,” Dr Prasad said, while reacting to the controversial notice issued by the institute’s principal.He said the order was canceled and the inquiry report was forwarded to the department for further action against the principal. “A two-member committee, comprising deputy medical superintendent Ramesh Kumar and MOIC (Hathua) Avinash, went to the GNM school to verify the order and submitted their report. I forwarded the report to the director-in-chief (family welfare, child health and nursing, disease control, public health and paramedical) Dr Rekha Jha on Monday. They will take further action,” Dr Prasad told TOI on Tuesday.The controversy erupted five days ago when Hathua GNM School, on April 16, released an official order instructing all female students not to marry during the academic session. The notice, issued on the letter collegehead and signed by principal Mansi Singh, warned that if any female student got married during the training period, her name would be immediately removed from the college rolls.The strongly-worded directive quickly sparked outrage among students, parents and on social media. Many argued that no educational institution has the authority to interfere in personal matters like marriage, especially when it concerns a young woman’s fundamental right to pursue her studies.Facing backlash, the principal clarified that the notice was not intended to ban marriages or hurt anyone’s feelings. She said the college was receiving frequent requests from families regarding marriage proposals during the session, which were disrupting students’ studies and clinical attendance.“Many students take extended leave after marriage, leading to shortage in attendance. Later, parents pressure us to allow them to appear in examinations despite failing to meet the required attendance, which goes against the rules,” the principal said.She admitted that there is no government rule or official manual prohibiting marriage during the nursing training period. The letter, she added, was merely an advisory to alert students and encourage them to complete their studies with full focus and attendance. The notice has since been withdrawn.
