PUNE: The Maharashtra government has buckled under pressure from the private medical colleges and allowed them to increase the management quota fees. It has permitted these colleges to hike the fees by four times.
Twelve out of 22 private medical colleges had frozen admissions because of the dispute with the Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) over fees hike. In all, 192 of the 1,200 seats have remained vacant so far.
A letter from the FRA stated that the medical education and drugs department of the Maharashtra government has considered it appropriate for the private medical colleges to collect fees with an upper limit of four times the regular fees from students admitted against institutional/management quota to medical post-graduate course. It was earlier reported by Sakal Times that many medical colleges had denied admission to students as the State government was not allowing them to increase the fees. Now, after the State government’s decision, admissions have again been opened.
It is believed that the government has a legitimate reason and necessary date to suggest increase in the fee structure for institutional/management quota students. The authority does not see any reason not to accede to the suggestion made by the government.
“The private medical colleges had demanded a hike of five times the regular fees in the management quota. While the government asked to increase it three times the regular fees, which meant 1:3:5 against 50 per cent merit students, 35 per cent of management quota and 15 per cent of non-resident Indian (NRI) quota. However, it settled for four times the regular fees hike in fees. Now, it has become 1:4:5 against the aforesaid quota,” said Director of Medical Education and Research (DMER) Pravin Shingare.
This has highlighted the fact that many middle class students are looking forward to take admissions in foreign countries due to unaffordable medical education here. Around 5,000 Indian students go to Russia, China, Georgia, the Philippines to pursue medical education every year.
“My daughter had cleared the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) to take admission in Indian medical colleges in 2016. However, due to the reservation system and less number of seats available in government colleges, she was unable to take admission in the preferred colleges. Deemed universities demanded huge donations and their fees are too high. Under these circumstances, we were forced to admit her in a foreign college, where the quality of education is good and not as expensive as in India,” said advocate Sachindra Jadhav, whose daughter is currently studying in the Philippines.
