Bengaluru: The private colleges in Karnataka have demanded the government for a 15 percent hike in the course fee for undergraduate medical and dental courses for the present academic year. The colleges also demanded the fee to be fixed on par with the fees charged at the deemed to be medical universities in the state.
The Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) and Karnataka Religious and Linguistic Minority Professional Colleges Association forwarded the demand to Medical Education Minister D K Shivakumar at a meeting chaired by the minister on June 18. The government has reportedly turned down the demand for the fee hike.
However, the latest demand of 15 percent fee hike by the colleges is against the earlier agreed terms. The private medical colleges and the Karnataka government had signed a memorandum of understanding in 2017-18 stating that fee can be hiked by 10 percent for the next three years.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting Shivakumar said the colleges justified the fee hike on account of a government directive to increase pay scale of employees by 30 percent. “We are examining the matter legally as we have an earlier agreement”, he said.
The students seeking admissions to medical colleges are in a bind as the private colleges are yet to reach a consensus on the course fee for medical and dental courses for the year 2018-19. The private colleges will hold another round of talks on Wednesday, June 20.
Earlier this month, the Medical Council of India (MCI) had denied permission for 8 medical colleges in Karnataka. The state has 800 fewer undergraduate medical seats as compared to last year. Shivakumar said that the state government will approach the court for a solution.
