Counselling begins, but fee for medical PG courses yet to be announced

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 26

Though the counselling for admissions to post-graduate medical colleges will begin tomorrow, the state government is yet to announce the fee structure for private colleges. Due to the delay in declaring the fee structure for private colleges, aspirants are in a state of confusion.

As the fee has to be deposited immediately after a call for admission is given, parents of wards find it difficult to arrange money that runs into lakhs of rupees.

Last year, the fee was Rs 5 lakh per annum. However, this year, almost all private colleges have given representation to the state government to raise it to Rs 10 lakh per annum. To look into the issue, the state government has set up a committee also.

"Some students may have to give up seats because for not so well-off students, it becomes difficult to arrange such a hefty sum at a short notice. They may have to pay high rate of interest to arrange the money," said the father of a PG course aspirant.

"The government has neither mentioned the fee structure for private colleges in its notification, nor made any announcement in this regard," said another aspirant's parent.

Earlier, the government had hiked the fee for MBBS courses in private colleges from Rs 30 lakh to Rs 42 lakh for five years, he said.

He added that there were apprehensions that the government would bow to the pressure of some private colleges to hike the fee for PG courses, but it did not do so because of the Budget session where it would have been made an issue by the Opposition. A top functionary of the Medical Education Department said the fee structure for the PG courses for private colleges would be announced in a day or so.

Other issue that is bothering the students is regarding allocation of seats in excess against sports, defence and riot and terrorist victim quota. There is 9 per cent reservation of seats for sportspersons, children of defence personnel, riot victims and others. Of the total 63 seats in the PG course for fresh graduates, six seats should have been allocated for reserved categories, but the government has reserved 14 seats for these categories. This allocation has been made in the most sought after disciplines like radiology and ophthalmology.

For instance, of the three seats for radiology for fresh graduates, two have been reserved for sportspersons and others. Likewise, in opthamology, out of three seats for fresh graduates, two have gone to the wards of defence personnel, whose otherwise total reservation is two per cent.

Some students may have to give up seats because for not so well-off students, it becomes difficult to arrange such a hefty sum at a short notice. They may have to pay high rate of interest to arrange the money. — Father of a PG course aspirant

The government has neither mentioned the fee structure for private colleges in its notification, nor made any announcement in this regard. — Another aspirant's parent