GO fixing MBBS, PG medical fee structure for Annamalai University faces flak

In fact, the Doctors' Association for Social Equality has further urged the Government for another order clarifying that the students admitted from 2021 onwards should pay on par with government medical colleges only.

This comes as a response to the recent G.O issued by the Secretary of the Higher Education Department, D. Karthikeyan on Monday. The order has given the detailed fee structure of the MBBS and post-graduate programmes in the medical and dental colleges of Cuddalore district run by the Government from 2016-17 onwards.

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Stating that the students who were on the University's roll during 2020-21 had approached the government seeking a re-fixing of the UG and PG courses fees, the order has given a break-up of the fees fixed for students who were admitted since 2016-17 onwards.

As per the order, the students who are currently pursuing their MBBS internship will be liable to pay Rs 5.44 lakh for the first year and subsequently Rs 5 lakh per year. In fact, the directions are same for students admitted during 2017-18 academic year as well.

However, for the students admitted during 2018-19 and 2020-21, the order has mentioned the fees to be Rs 4 lakh per year making it "on a par with self-financing college fees for the entire duration of their study".

Giving a similar break up for the dental and PG students, the order has clarified that any excess of fees would be refunded to the outgoing students or properly adjusted for the junior year students. Referring to the students pursuing their internship, the G.O. has further clarified that if the stipend was paid then it would be recovered as the CRRIs get no stipend in the self-financing colleges.

However, upset over the order, a parent, who led the legal fight against the higher fees fixed by the committee, told The Hindu, "The government took over the colleges in 2013, but the fee collected was much higher than even that collected by SF colleges. We, the parents of students from the 2013-14 batch, have been fighting for refund."

Mentioning that the order had been issued when the case was pending before the Madras High Court, he further added, "When the fee for self-financing colleges was Rs 2.3 lakh to Rs 2.8 lakh, we paid Rs 4.5 lakh and Rs 5.04 lakh as per the (fee fixation) committee's order, which too we have challenged."

Meanwhile, pointing out that the fee fixed by the order is 30 times higher than the government medical colleges and three times more than the Self Financing medical colleges fees, G.R. Ravindranath, general secretary of Doctors' Association for Social Equality, told the daily that he has urged the Government to make the fee on par with government medical colleges for the students admitted to PG and UG courses from 2021-22 onwards.