The new pharma technology vocational course introduced by the Board of Intermediate (BIE) of Telangana state is expected to face tough hurdles for the students as the BIE has not taken any kind of approval from the Pharmacy Council of India (PCI).

Sanjay Reddy, member of Telangana State Pharmacy Council (TSPC), stressed that any pharmacy course introduced by any board or university must be recognized by the PCI. Any pharma related course without taking permission of PCI will be not valid, because before taking the approval the contents of the course should be submitted to the council for its official approval.

At present, four government-run colleges in Telangana are offering vocational pharma technology courses to the students. However, the PCI had denied approval of any such course to the Board of Intermediate Education and students who will be taking such up approved course will be at a loss as they may not get registered at the state pharmacy council which is very important for pursuing further career or jobs in the related field.

The TSPC member observed that before introducing the pharmacy related course there is a procedure for the educational institutions and universities to be followed for getting approval from the PCI. Introducing arbitrary courses without having the approval of the apex council will not only face problems for the students, but in the long run it will lead to various adverse repercussions and legal tangles.

For instance, the B.Pharm and D Pharm courses are approved by the PCI and any student who has successfully completed these courses from any PCI recognized college or university will have to first register himself at the respective state pharmacy councils for certification to pursue further career or any job. However, as the vocational pharma technology course introduced by the BIE is not approved and recognized by the PCI, the TSPC cannot certify such a course and cannot register students who have completed the said course and therefore there is no use for the students because they will be wasting two precious years of time and efforts.