Thiruvananthapuram: Indira Gandhi National Tribal University has cancelled its order making the Nipah negative certificate mandatory for students after the Kerala government intervened in the matter. IGNTU has told the students who appeared for open counselling to produce a certificate which confirms they tested negative for the Nipah virus. The university took the move after Kerala confirmed the Nipah outbreak in Kozhikode.
The university's order made headlines after Manorama News reported the plight of the students who were restricted from entering the university without a COVID-19 negative certificate.
Following this, the minister for higher education R Bindhu has sought the attention of the minister for higher education in Madhya Pradesh in the matter via email. Later, she contacted the Tribal University authority and the latter assured her that the order would be cancelled.
The decision was a big relief for the students who reached the university to attend the open counselling for various UG and PG courses.
IGNTU proctor Prof. M T V Nagaraju issued the controversial order making Nipah negative certificate mandatory for students from Kerala on Thursday. As the open counselling was scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Malayali students who reached the campus on Thursday missed their chance due to the order.
Though the students had contacted the Nipah cell of the state health department seeking the certificate after receiving the order, the officials had told them that no such certificate had been issued so far.
Apart from the students who reached for counselling, those who returned to the campus after the semester holidays were also denied entry over the order seeking a Nipah negative certificate.