The Karnataka education department has hiked the fees for Ayurveda, Yoga and naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) courses by 25 per cent, affecting over one lakh students in the state. The move has drawn flak from student bodies, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
Karnataka Education Authority (KEA) on September 23 announced an online mop-up round for dental seats, and the first round for AYUSH displaying seat matrix and fee structure for all undergraduate courses. It showed that the fee for AYUSH courses could be increased from Rs 60,000 to Rs 75,000 for first-year students.
Previously, aided and unaided private AYUSH medical colleges had submitted a request to the state government to increase the fee. The structure has remained unchanged for the past five years, including the COVID-19 period. Students are not happy with the hike, especially those coming from rural areas.
Mahantesh Bilur, state office secretary, All India Democratic Students Organisation (AIDSO), said, “The government is taking away the right of students to get a good education. It has yielded to pressure from corporate lobbyists. This is an anti-student move, and we want the state to withdraw it.”
Apoorva L (name changed) said all aided institutions are only looking at profits and education is now looked at as a commodity. The welfare of students is at stake. “First they increased the fees for MBBS and dental, and now for AYUSH. A financially strained family cannot afford such expensive education."
