Pics: Spoorthy Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Mar 14: The members of Dakshina Kannada speech and hearing students' union organized a protest rally from Dr Ambedkar Circle to deputy commissioner's office here on Wednesday March 14.
The protestors raised slogans against the proposed course on hearing and dispensing by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI).
Students from colleges across the city, including KMC (both Mangalore and Manipal), Father Muller, Nitte and Dr M V Shetty participated in the rally. The protest was part of a nation-wide call against the introduction of the course.
The RCI has proposed to begin a diploma/certificate course in hearing aid dispensing, which was opposed by the students. They demanded that the eligibility criteria for a new course in speech and hearing should be bachelors in audiology and speech language pathology (BASLP), and that only such candidates should be hired for posts in the field.
The protestors warned of intensifying their agitation if their demands were not met.
They also alleged that the RCI was encouraging quacks in the field of hearing and speech therapy, and called for a probe into the matter.