NEW DELHI, INDIA, February 25, 2018 (by G.S Mudur, The Telegraph): The Centre’s regulators of traditional medicine have approved over the past four years more than 150 ayurveda and unani medical colleges that lack minimum prescribed standards of infrastructure, faculty or patients, sections of regulators themselves have complained to the government. Members of the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), the regulatory agency for traditional medicine, have said the approvals to colleges with substandard teaching facilities have come at a time the Narendra Modi government is trying to bolster support to traditional medicine.They say the number of ayurveda or unani colleges across India has increased from less than 300 in mid-2014 to about 450 in early-2018, a growth that they claim reflects the enthusiasm with which the government has approved colleges on recommendations from the CCIM. In a letter sent to the PMO on February 20, Tyagi has expressed concern about the quality of education and the knowledge and confidence of students who seek admission in these colleges. He has cautioned that the future of students and the credibility of the government are at stake.
Senior Ayush officials who requested not to be named said the ministry is aware of the issues within the CCIM and is trying to address the issue of quality through multiple measures. “We’re playing a catch-up game with the CCIM,” said one senior official. “We’re taking steps to ensure quality of education.” The ministry has initiated a compulsory implementation of Aadhaar- and geo-location-based attendance system for teachers and staff to enable tracking. All Ayush colleges have also been asked to post photographs of their faculty on the college website. The ministry is introducing a “teacher eligibility test” for all new teachers and plans to a series of continue conducting medical education programmes to upgrade skills of existing teachers, Rajesh Kotecha, the Ayush secretary, told this paper.