Mangalore: The National protest by speech and hearing professionals (DK Speech and hearing students Union) staged a protest rally against proposed course on hearing and dispensing by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) in front of DC Office on Mar 14, Wednesday.

The students from MV Shetty College, Maps College, KMC, Fr Muller’s College and Nitte University organized a rally from Jyothi Circle to DC Office.

Addressing the protest, the protestors said that the rehabilitation council of India is contemplating to institute a Diploma/ Certificate course in Hearing Aid Dispensing.

They also said that it is a 4 or 6 month certificate course or a 10 month Diploma in speech and hearing is sufficient to provide good speech and hearing services and so it may be only to legalize the dispensing work done by employees of hearing aid marketing agencies in this country, or not to hurt the ego of some ENT surgeons that such a course is being contemplated. There is no doubt that such a course if instituted, would sound the death knell of audio logical practice by University trained Audiologists in this country. Therefore such a course should not be started in the country particularly in an ‘economically sensitive’ area like hearing aid dispensing.

They said that, it looks that by starting such courses RCI is creating certifies quacks in this country. It is not able to understand that why poor and uneducated people should be deprived of quality services by professionals. It also appears that RCI on the name of manpower generation is looking for low level of courses who rather than serving the people will act as certified quacks.

RCI rather than protecting the certified Audiologists is promoting the ENT and some Hearing aid dispensers. They also said that Speech and hearing colleges have mushroomed in India and the RCI has not been successful in monitoring the quality of education. Many colleges still lack the clinical facilities for this course and are running, with blessings from the RCI. Till date there has been no document to show that the RCI has taken any steps to provide employment to the audiologists and speech therapists in India.