Some private nurses’ training schools are allegedly using students as labour instead of properly training them, with some also issuing unrecognised certificates, Deputy Health Minister Dr Hansaka Wijemuni claimed.

Responding to questions from The Daily Morning yesterday (5), Dr Wijemuni said the Government is collecting data on such institutions and would bring them under proper regulation.

He said that nurses’ training schools should obtain approval from both the Health Ministry and the Education Ministry and should meet the requirements set by the Tertiary and Vocational Training Commission, including the relevant National Vocational Qualification levels. “If they are offering a diploma, there are criteria for that as well, and they should operate according to those criteria,” he said.

Dr Wijemuni said that some institutions had prepared syllabuses but did not have properly qualified staff to provide the training. “What actually happens is that the hospital gets the manpower it needs by simply using these students. Then, they give them certificates, nobody recognises those certificates,” he said.

He added that institutions using students to perform work should also pay them.

“We have collected the data now. But, we have not taken strong action yet because there are many such activities in Sri Lanka’s private sector. If we suddenly intervene in all of them, it could create a problem for that sector,” Dr Wijemuni said. However, he stressed that the Government could not allow the situation to continue and would intervene to regulate the sector.

He also acknowledged that some institutions are providing proper training, while problems exist in others.