Kerala: Delay in MBBS fee fixation for self-financing colleges creates uproar in Assembly

Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling and opposition members Tuesday locked horns in the Kerala Assembly over the admission procedures and fixation of fees structure for the medical, dental and allied courses in self-financing colleges in the state.

The opposition Congress-led UDF members rapped the left government, alleging delay in fixing the fees in the private medical and dental colleges even weeks after publication of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) results.

Before staging a walkout, the UDF members also charged that the lapses by the government had marred the medical education sector in the state and caused anxiety among hundreds of medical aspirant students and their parents.

Countering the allegations, state Health Minister K K Shailaja said there was no confusion over the fees in the self-financing medical and dental colleges and the admission would be completed on a time-bound manner.

"The government has conducted the medical allotment procedures in a transparent manner in the last three years.

This year also, we will complete it on a time-bound manner as per the guidelines prescribed by the Supreme Court in this regard," she said.

Rejecting the opposition charge that the government had a secret pact with private managements to hike the course fee, the minister said the government would accept the fee fixed by the fee regulatory committee.

UDF members tried to disrupt the minister's reply throughout, pointing out the alleged lapses, provoking many ruling legislators also to stand up and engage in heated arguments with them.

Opposition leader in the assembly Ramesh Chennithala said students and parents still did not know the amount they have to remit as fees.

Many self-financing college managements were demanding Rs 12-18 lakhs annual fees, he alleged.

Based on the minister's reply, the Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan denied nod for the notice for adjournment motion by the Congress's Sivakumar over the issue, following which the opposition staged a walkout in protest.