Students of Apollo Nursing College in Ahmedabad protested on October 29 against what they described as prolonged operation from a temporary campus, inadequate facilities, limited clinical exposure and alleged intimidation by college authorities. The protest was organised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) outside the college near Parimal Garden.
According to the report, the college is being operated by Apollo Hospital while a campus at Bhatt is understood to be under construction or planned. Students said they were told at the time of admission that the temporary arrangement would last about six months and that the college would then move to a new building or campus. They said the relocation had not taken place even after three to four years.
Student Surali said the same explanation had been repeated each year or semester when students asked about the move. According to her account, they were told that the college was under maintenance or that a new location was being sought and that students would have to adjust. She also alleged that faculty members did not provide adequate support and that students had limited clinical exposure compared with those at other colleges.
Surali further alleged that students were assigned hospital duties only when there was an operational requirement and that there was no clear curriculum or timetable specifying when classes or holidays would be held. These claims were reported in the context of the students’ wider complaint that the temporary campus lacked basic facilities.
Another student, identified as Mite, said he was in the fourth year of a B.Sc. Nursing course and had been told during admission that the college would be ready within six months. He alleged that students had spent three years at the temporary campus without receiving adequate facilities, despite families paying fees of Rs 1.25 lakh.
The student also alleged inadequate washroom and ventilation arrangements. He claimed that when students sought leave, they were sometimes made to stand for two to three hours in classrooms without air-conditioning or fans. He further alleged that the principal threatened students and that their documents had been retained by the college, affecting their mental wellbeing.
ABVP representative Priyam Bhatia said the organisation was protesting after receiving complaints from students. According to Bhatia, students felt they were being kept merely as a showpiece and were used inside the hospital for injections or other work only for display purposes. He also alleged that students were told to remove religious threads and that the principal threatened them with removal from the institution if they did not comply.
The report did not include a response from Apollo Nursing College, Apollo Hospital or the principal to the allegations. ABVP said its workers would remain at the location until the principal appeared in person and accepted the students’ representation.
