Citizen journalism: Bhaskar Medical College students asked to pay fee for entire fifth year; sends SOS to govt
For the last two years, all these issues were brought to the notice of the Registrar, KNRUHS, but no action was taken
By Newsmeter Network Published on 26 Oct 2024 8:55 AM GMT
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NewsMeter has always been at the forefront of highlighting people's problems, celebrating the common person's success, and encouraging people to live their dreams. We are trying to become a bridge between the government and the people. To take this initiative forward, we are introducing a citizen journalism concept This story is part of the initiative
Hyderabad: Flouting Telangana Admission and Fee Regulatory Committee (TAFRC) guidelines, Bhaskar Medical College has asked students to pay entire fifth-year fees for the internship.
TAFRC in its order dated 07/11/2020 clearly stated that the MBBS fees should only be collected for 4.5 years. It was because the 2019 and 2020 batches faced admission delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Recently, TAFRC also issued a press release emphasizing that no private medical colleges should collect illegal fees or demand fees in advance.
Furthermore, in June, the Health Minister held a meeting with all principals of Telangana Medical Colleges, reiterating the same guidelines.
Despite these clear instructions, Bhaskar Medical College is asking students to pay the entire fifth-year fees for the internship, a requirement not applied anywhere else in India. Other private medical colleges are collecting fees only for 4.5 years.
The college is insisting on an advance six-month fee for the internship. Students fear losing a precious year as the college may hold the exam admit cards which are issued by KNR University. Students' requests to KNR University to issue admit cards directly to students on TCsion, or on the university website as done in MPH exams, have gone unanswered.
The demanded fees range from:
ā¹50,000 per year for Category A seats (75 seats)
ā¹12 lakhs per year for Category B seats (54 seats)
ā¹24 lakhs per year for Category C seats (25 seats)
Moreover, students said the college collects an additional ā¹5,000 per year over and above the tuition fees, totaling ā¹25,000 over five years. This is allegedly meant to be paid as a stipend, but the stipend given is only ā¹2,000 per month, whereas the G.O. stipulates ā¹25,000 per month.
The matter has been brought to the notice of the DME, Telangana, and the Registrar of KNRUHS. However, no action has been initiated so far. If the Health Minister's office does not address this by November 15, many students will face academic detention or succumb to pressure to pay these illegal fees.
Students have urged the Health Minister to mandate payment only for 4.5 years of MBBS fees. They have appealed to the authorities to stop the college from demanding fees before the academic year begins. It is a big ask for Category B and C students to manage such exorbitant and unjustified fees without an internship stipend.
For the last two years, all these issues were brought to the notice of the Registrar, KNRUHS, but no action was taken.
