Around 250 students from the Rajah Muthiah Medical and Dental College in Chidambaram, Cuddalore are on an indefinite sit-in protest at the Directorate of Medical Education in Chennai urging the government to see to it that the college, which is attached to the Annamalai University, is brought under the jurisdiction of the Health and Family Welfare Department and the fees are brought down to what the government colleges charge. While the government orders regarding this have been out since February 1, 2021, there has been no move to implement it. The students claimed that on the contrary, the Annamalai University had scheduled exams on March 23, which all 1,300 UG and PG students boycotted.
The Government of Tamil Nadu issued an order ((Ms) No.45 Health and Family Welfare [MCA-2] Department) on February 1, directing that Rajah Muthaiah Medical College attached to Annamalai University under the Ministry of Higher Education be handed over to the Health and Family Welfare Department treating it as Government Medical College, Cuddalore District, with immediate effect. The government had also fixed the fees on par with other government medical and dental colleges — Rs 30,000 for MD and MS courses and Rs 13,610 for MBBS courses — for currently studying students of RMMCH and RMDC. "But Annamalai University is demanding Rs 9.6 lakhs per year for PG students and Rs 5.34 lakhs per year for UG students for 2020-21. This is three times higher than the fee at private medical colleges and 30 times higher than other government medical colleges," said the students.
The students of this college were on a strike that lasted more than 50 days at the beginning of the year. At the end of it, the government had agreed to their terms. A GO was passed but never got implemented. "Even after handing over of medical & dental college to Department of Health and Family Welfare, Annamalai University is demanding 30 times the fee from students. This is a violation of the GO. The University has no role to demand fees from students after handing over the college to the Department. Annamalai University has informed students that exam results and certificates will be withheld until the entire fee demanded by the university is paid by students," said Dr Praveen, one of the protesting students. "Results and certificates of already course completed students from 2013 to 2020 and currently studying students has been withheld by university demanding to pay exorbitant fees. PG students' stipend has been not paid by the college for the past two years," said the protestors.
