The Kerala government will move the Supreme Court against a verdict of the High Court that allowed self financing medical colleges to decide the maximum fees to be levied from students for the 2020-21 academic year.
The government's decision came in the wake of anxiety expressed by students and parents over the almost three-fold hike in the annual tuition fees prescribed by the individual colleges from the fee charged last year. Health Minister KK Shailaja said a senior counsel will be appointed to fight the case in the apex court. Terming the huge fee hike by self-financing medical colleges as a challenge to the student community, the Minister condemned attempts by such colleges to hamper the entire admission process every year.
Based on a recent High Court order, the Commissioner for Entrance Examinations (CEE) on Wednesday published the maximum fees proposed to be levied in 18 self-financing medical colleges in the state. The fee ranges from Rs 7.65 lakh to Rs 20.7 lakh in the 85 per cent general category seats. For the 15 per cent NRI seats, the fee ranges from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 34 lakh. However, the fee fixed earlier by the R Rajendra Babu Fee Regulatory Committee for medical education in the state ranged from Rs 6.22 lakh to Rs 7.65 lakh in the general category. For the NRI seats, the fee prescribed by the committee was Rs 20 lakh of which Rs five lakh was proposed to be set apart as a scholarship for students from financially backward families.
While publishing the colleges' fee structure as directed by the High Court, the CEE also directed that during admission, students should give an undertaking that they will be under the obligation to pay the difference between the fee fixed by the Rajendra Babu committee and the fee prescribed by colleges. The High Court had said the final fee would be decided by the court or such other authority as it may deem fit. -"On what assurance can I give such an undertaking? What if the annual fee of over Rs seven lakh is hiked to Rs 20 lakh later as demanded by colleges? It will be very tough for me to cough up the remaining amount,-" said Pratheesh John, a parent. Meanwhile, the CEE has given time till 12 noon on Thursday for students to rearrange options by comparing the fee structure of the 18 self financing colleges.
