Two medical colleges on Monday signed a pact with the government wherein students can study for a lower fee in a section of seats. According to the pact, the fee for 25 seats - including five for SC/ST candidates - will be ₹25,000. In another 25 seats, the fee will be ₹2.5 lakh. In 35% of seats, the fee will be ₹11 lakh and for the NRI quota of 15 seats the fee will be ₹15 lakh.
The pact was signed between the government and the MES Medical College and the Karakkonam medical college of the CSI.
MES representative Fazal Gafoor said the pact was an extension of the fee agreement signed last year. ‘The pact allows some students to study at a lower fee. The fee for the other seats will be higher,” he said.
“If the High Court rules against Monday’s pact we will revert to the earlier agreement with the government. Under this, there will be a uniform fee of ₹5.5 lakh for all seats,” he added.
When asked about earlier judicial pronouncements against cross-subsidy of fee, Dr. Gafoor said some States, including Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, had fee agreements that were essentially a cross-subsidy. No court had said anything against those agreements, he pointed out.
President of the Kerala Private Medical College Management Association P. Krishnadas told The Hindu that the association would meet in a couple of days to take stock of the situation arising from the signing of the fee pact by two colleges.
“Many colleges have gone to court against the fixation of ₹5.5 as fee for all seats. A verdict of the court is expected any time now,” he added.
