Inaugural GNM and BSc batch at Regional Institute of Nursing Education takes oath at Ri-Bhoi campus of USTM
Khanapara (Meghalaya), Nov 21: The University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) on Friday held its first Florence Nightingale lamp lighting and oath-taking ceremony for the inaugural batch of GNM and BSc Nursing students of the Regional Institute of Nursing Education (RINE), marking the formal entry of the new cohort into the nursing profession.
The ceremony, organised at the Prof N.K. Chaudhury Auditorium on the USTM campus at 9th Mile, Khanapara, is being seen as a milestone in the university’s push to build nursing and healthcare education infrastructure in the Northeast. Students symbolically stepped into the profession by lighting lamps before a portrait of Florence Nightingale and taking the Nightingale Pledge.
The event began with a minute’s silence in memory of Assam cultural figure Dr Zubeen Garg, followed by a devotional Vandana presented by Hricheeta Saikia, a first-semester BCA student.
RINE principal Dr Kalpana Hazarika led the oath, reminding students of the ethical and compassionate foundations of nursing.
Prof Amutha V.K., principal of the Army Institute of Nursing and chief guest at the function, underlined the central role of nurses in patient care.
“Nursing is not merely a career, it is a calling,” she said, adding that while doctors visit patients intermittently, nurses remain by their side round the clock and form the backbone of the healthcare system.
The programme was attended by USTM vice-chancellor Prof G.D. Sharma; Dr Jogesh Sarma, director, medical education, PIMC; USTM advisor Prof R.K. Sharma; faculty members; staff; and students of RINE, who witnessed the first batch of nurses from the institute formally commit to professional service.
University officials said the launch of nursing programmes and the first lamp lighting ceremony reinforce USTM’s stated focus on producing skilled, ethically grounded healthcare professionals from the region.
USTM is ranked among the top 200 universities in India in the NIRF 2024 framework and is the only private university from the Northeast to receive an ‘A’ grade from NAAC in its first assessment.
The institution has grown from six to over 6,000 students in a little over 14 years, according to the university.
