The Fee Regulatory Authority (FRA) of Maharashtra has declared that no medical college in the state may charge institutional quota students five times the permitted fees for general admissions, in response to complaints from parents. On Thursday, the FRA sent out a notification informing colleges that disobeying this order will result in consequences. The action was taken in response to a request made by the Maharashtra government to the FRA to let private medical institutions to impose institutional quotas that would allow them to charge students up to five times the standard tuition for ayurveda, homoeopathic, and Unani courses. But the government resolution (GR) was not approved by the FRA, and several universities used it to raise their tuition significantly, which infuriated parents.
A number of private medical colleges started to charge annual tuition fees exceeding ₹35–40 lakh, a dramatic increase that put a heavy financial burden on many families. The FRA responded to these worries by asking universities to abide by the fee caps mentioned in the notice dated November 10, 2023. This notification informs students that institutions offering undergraduate degrees such as MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BPTH, and BUMS may charge up to three times the standard fees for institutional and management quota seats. The cap is four times the standard fees for post-graduate courses.
The scandal started when some private medical colleges started charging parents tuition five times higher than the going rate, claiming an earlier government resolution as justification. This sparked protests. FRA member Dharmendra Mishra clarified that the authority determines each college’s cost structure using a particular methodology. The FRA sent out a new notice to remind institutions of the maximum amount that can be charged, and encouraged parents to report any instances of overcharging after receiving multiple complaints from parents over exorbitant prices.
The state administration has also admitted that improper handling occurred while deciding to approve a five-fold increase in fees. An official conceded that instead of favoring the administration of medical facilities, the government ought to have engaged parents and other interested parties before making the decision. In order to ensure justice for students and their families, the FRA has issued a guideline that aims to regulate the pricing structure in private medical colleges. Parents are urged to file complaints with the FRA in order to pursue further action if they are still subjected to outrageous fee demands.
SOURCE :
HINDUSTAN TIMES
