THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said no student would be deprived of admission in the self-financing medical colleges for not giving bank guarantee as stipulated by the Supreme Court.
The poor students who have got admission in self-financing medical colleges will not lose their opportunity because of the verdict, he said while reacting to the SC order that fixed the annual fees for MBBS courses at Rs 11 lakh. Pinarayi said the government would help the students to get bank guarantee and to avail of loans after the fees are finally fixed.
As per the SC order, the final decision to fix the fees rests with the Fee Regulatory Committee, he said and added that the Justice Rajendra Babu Committee would be asked to fix the fees at the earliest.
Meanwhile, Health Minister K K Shylaja refuted reports the fees have been fixed at Rs 11 lakh. The Supreme Court had ordered to give a bank guarantee of Rs 6 lakh apart from the Rs 5 lakh fixed by the Fees Regulatory Committee.
With the passing of the bill for regulation of the self-financing medical colleges in the state, the government can take stern steps in this regard, she said. Moreover the Fees Regulatory Committee has been asked to finalise the fees of each of the colleges separately within three months.
The Fees Regulatory Committee had fixed a temporary fees of Rs 5 lakh in all self-financing medical colleges. Though the managements had approached the SC, the High Court was asked to take a decision. The HC had ordered to give bonds instead of bank guarantee. This was challenged in the SC and the court has now ordered to give a bank guarantee of Rs 6 lakh apart from the Rs 5 lakh fixed by the Fees Regulatory Committee.
Govt’s cruel deceit on MBBS aspirants: Hassan
Coming down heavily on the Left Government, KPCC president M M Hassan said students longing to pursue MBBS had been ‘cruelly deceived’ by the government even when there was ample scope to fix Rs 5 lakh as the annual fee.
“The government will have to answer for jeopardising the future of hundreds of students by facilitating an exorbitant fees of I11 lakh,” he said in a statement. Hassan alleged the Chief Minister’s office colluded with SF medical-dental college managements and the government counsels also played a similar role in the High Court and Supreme Court.
“The after effects of slapping exorbitant fee will become apparent in the coming years,” said Hassan, who exhorted student community to rise in unison against hefty fee.
Fee structure @ Pariyaram fixed
Pariyaram medical college management has decided to fix the fee for MBBS admissions. For the candidates who are under Below Poverty Line, they have to pay Rs 25,000, while Scheduled Caste and other backward communities have to pay Rs 45,000.
However, the fees for general category has been fixed as Rs 2.5 lakh. Similarly, the fee for 35 management seats has been fixed at Rs 5 lakhs and the candidates should also pay Rs 5 lakhs as bank guarantee. For NRI seats, the fee has been fixed at Rs 14 lakhs. The management has later informed the Chief Minister’s office.
Christian mgmts to collect E5 lakh as tuition fees
The Kerala Christian Professional College Managements has communicated to the government the four colleges under them will only collect Rs 5 lakh as tuition fees. The CM’s office said the Christian managements, in a communi-cation, said students who have already joined the colleges need not give bank guarantee. Pusha-pagiri, Kolenchery, Amala and Jubilee Medical Colleges come under Kerala Christian
SC order on SFMC fees a govt-made disaster: Chennithala
Holding the state government solely responsible for leading this year’s self-financing (SF) medical education admissions to ‘a disaster’, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said Monday’s Supreme Court verdict was, in fact, a price paid for the shortcomings of an inept administration. “The government should reply what should the students who took admissions in SF medical seats feeling the annual fee will be Rs 5 lakh do now. It is a government-made disaster,” he said in a statement.
He reiterated the Opposition charge the government colluded with SF medical-dental college managements and gifted them time to approach the court without itself going ahead with the admission process despite a favorable verdict. "The High Court had on July 17 permitted the government to admit students to MBBS seats at Rs 5 lakh annual fee. But the government rolled out the allotment only a month later. In between, the managements moved the court,” Ramesh said, while blaming the government for failing to present real facts related to the matter even in the apex court.
Purely illogical: SFI
CPM’s student wing SFI has come out against the Supreme Court verdict in the self-financing issue terming it illogical. “The apex court issued the verdict without taking into consideration the realities. This verdict will lead to financially backward students completely losing their opportunity for medical education,” said SFI state secretariat in a statement.