Adesh BDS offer to attract students courts controversy

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, July 19

After fixing the tuition fee for its 150 MBBS seats for Rs11.90 lakh each per year with an annual hike of 10 per cent, Adesh University is in the eye of a storm after it offered many “lucrative” incentives to attract the students for its 100 BDS seats.

These inducements include “lowest” tuition fee and fee waiver, besides surety of clearing the annual exams.

The offer of clearing the annual exams in Adesh Dental College is eye-catching after 26 per cent of the BDS students had failed to clear the final year exit examinations in 15 dental colleges in the state this time. These exams were conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) and the result was declared on Monday.

While Adesh University is in the dock for allegedly not complying with the February 6, 2018, notification of the Department of Medical Education Research (DMER), the university claims that it offers the “lowest” tuition fee in the state for the BDS course.

The DMER’s notification has sought to bring all private medical institutes under the ambit of its 2006 law that regulates the fee and had fixed at Rs6.60 lakh as per annum fee for MBBS and Rs2.20 lakh per annual for the BDS management quota seats with an annual increase of 10 percent.

In alleged violation of the notification, Adesh university has fixed the fee for the MBBS course at Rs11.90 lakh per year, but it lowered the tuition fee for BDS course to Rs1.65 lakh.

Besides, the university is now offering fee waiver on Rs1.65 lakh fee to fill all its 100 BDS seats.

Last year, about 70 per cent BDS seats remained vacant and the reason behind the new move is to fill all seats.

Despite the DMER is relaxing the eligibility criteria to fill the BDS seats in the state, about 70 of the total 100 BDS seats in Adesh Dental College remained vacant last year.

While posing as a parent, The Tribune contacted the Adesh Dental college authorities, they offered up to 40 per cent waiver on the tuition fee for the BDS course.

Dr Amanish Singh, principal, Adesh Dental College, said the college offered fee waiver and scholarship to the meritorious students.

However, no such incentive is offered to the MBBS students in Adesh University.

About the surety of clearing the exams, the principal said only meritorious students were allowed to appear for the exam so the assessment of the results could be made easily.

In dock for not ‘following’ notification

While Adesh University is in the dock for allegedly not complying with the February 6, 2018, notification of the Department of Medical Education Research (DMER), the university claims that it offers the ‘lowest’ tuition fee in the state for the BDS course. 

n The DMER’s notification has sought to bring all private medical institutes under the ambit of its 2006 law that regulates the fee 

and had fixed at Rs 6.60 lakh as per annum fee for MBBS and Rs 2.20 lakh per annum for the BDS management quota seats with an annual increase of 10 per cent.

n In alleged violation of the notification, Adesh university has fixed the fee for the MBBS course at Rs 11.90 lakh per year, but it lowered the tuition fee for BDS course to Rs 1.65 lakh. Besides, the university is now offering fee waiver on Rs 1.65 lakh fee to fill all its 100 BDS seats.