LDF, private medical college clash over admission takeover bid by the Kerala government

The state has 22 private medical colleges, of which four come under Christian managements

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The Government Order (GO) issued by the LDF government in Kerala wherein it sought to take over the admission procedure of the private medical colleges in the state does not seem to have gone down well with the self-financing colleges.

The state has 22 private medical colleges, of which four come under Christian managements.

In another GO that was issued on Tuesday, the state government in Kerala specified that the colleges that come under the Christian managements must charge a fee of Rs 4.40 lakhs per year for all seats except that which came under the NRI quota.

Students who get admission under the NRI quota would now have to shell out Rs 12 lakhs per year for the same.

The Indian Medical Association however has welcomed the move by the government, terming it an able check to an alarming increase in commercialization and loss of values in the medical education sector.

The Kerala government in its previous order had asked that 50% of merit seats in these institutions be filled on the basis of the 2016 Kerala medical entrance examination, while 35% of the management quota and 15% of the NRI quota is to be based on the NEET list.

The Kerala Private Medical College Association (KPMCA) however wants the state government to allow the managements in these colleges to conduct admissions to 50% of the seats based on the NEET merit list.

The KPMCA has hence decided to challenge the said directive to the state Commissioner of Entrance Examination to begin the counselling process for admission to the various deemed universities as well as private medical colleges.

The Government Order (GO) -if implemented- would do away with capitation fees and prove a big boost to meritorious students who did well in the entrance exams.

Though the private dental colleges in the state had earlier signed an agreement with the state government for a uniform fee structure of Rs 4 lakhs per year, the latter on Tuesday retracted the same.

The government in its latest order made it clear that last year’s fee structure for merit seats in these colleges would be applicable in the current academic year too, thereby diffusing the tension that had build up with the sudden withdrawal of fee concession for these seats.

The government is yet to take a call on formulating the fee structure for merit seats as well as the management quota in the remaining 22 self-financing colleges in the state.