Private Medical Colleges adding NO Stipend Clause: Allege Students

Hyderabad: Private Medical Colleges seem to be sticking to their guns of wanting to make their extra bucks as and when they can, giving little or no relief to post graduate medical and dental students. The latest move being private institutions trying to save on their money by allegedly adding a ‘no stipend’ adage to the High Court’s fee directive. The May 18 directive of the High Court asks managements to take 50% of fee, at the time of admission, along with a bond stating that students would pay the remaining 50 when fixed by the court. It should be mentioned that stipend is mandatory as per the MCI norms.

Students reveal that despite the court directive, college managements are forcing them to submit bank guarantees(as per government order May 9) and also have them sign on a document to forgo stipends as junior residents, until completion of course. Students profess that they are being asked to submit their bank guarantees within a week’s time.

"Private colleges justified the fee hike by saying that they would give Rs 30, 000 per month as a stipend to students. But now they are asking us to sign a document saying that we will work for free for three years. I don't know what to do as I cannot afford the fee without the stipend," said a PG aspirant who secured a seat in a reputed private college.

"Colleges are completely going against rules and are asking us to sign a bond and give bank guarantee. This is unacceptable. Concerned authorities must immediately initiate action," added another student.

Meanwhile, Telangana Junior Doctors' Association and Members of Health Reforms and Doctors' Association (HRDA) have issued a legal notice to the Telangana Private Medical and Dental Colleges Management Association, on Saturday, with an accusation of disregarding the court order.

"This is clear case of contempt of the order passed by the High Court," the notice read, while demanding colleges to resume the admission process. "We did not know that colleges said that they won't give a stipend to students or else we would have raised this issue as well," said General Secretary, HRDA, Srinivas.

B Karunakar Reddy,Vice Chancellor,Kaloji Narayana Rao University of Health Sciences (KNRUHS) nullifying the legal validity of a paper signed by a student forgoing stipend said it would not stand in court. " As per the MCI guidelines colleges have to give a stipend to students. So, if they force students to sign bond regarding this issue, it won't hold good either in court or before the MCI," added the Vice Chancellor to the TOI . He however, said that nothing can be done when it comes to bank guarantees, as the court did not say anything about it.

He expressed helplessness in initiating an inquiry against private colleges for their blatant violation of varsity orders, as none of the students are willing to give anything in writing and all that is being told to them is in the form of oral communication. , "Although we are getting oral complaints against private colleges, not a single student is ready to give a written complaint. Hence we have no basis for initiating an inquiry," he clarified.

A government order dated May 9 issued by the Telangana Government that revised fee for postgraduate medical and dental students in private unaided and non minority colleges was got a stay on by the students, who moved court on it- the very next day.

On May 9, the Telangana government issued a GO revising the tuition fee for PG medical and dental courses in private unaided and non minority colleges. Students moved court the very next day and got a stay on fee hike.