New Delhi, June 10, 2010: Facing faculty crunch in nursing institutions, government Thursday decided to raise the retirement age of teachers having post graduation degree from 60 to 65 years.
The decision taken at a meeting of the Union Cabinet is expected to help retain faculty in the Central Government nursing institutions.
"The Cabinet approved increasing the age of superannuation from 60 to 65 years for the nursing teaching faculty with MSc in nursing in government nursing institutions subject to the condition that these nurses would continue to function as faculty members after the age of 60 years," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said here.
A large number of posts of teachers with MSc (Nursing) degree are lying vacant in central government nursing institutions and today’s decision was an "immediate step" to check further depletion in the availability of faculty, she said.
The National Commission on Macro-economics of Health has estimated a wide gap in demand and supply of nurses in near future. The Commission has recommended opening of new nursing colleges and schools as also upgradation of existing institutions.
To meet the growing demands of nurses, the XIth Five Year Plan envisages opening of new nursing colleges.