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Fee panel to hear State, managements

G. Krishnakumar

P.A. Mohammed

KOCHI: The admission and fee committees for professional colleges in the State are likely to accept a formula that reflects the Supreme Court decision on the agreement between the State government and the managements of six private medical colleges.

An emergency meeting of the committees, headed by the former judge P.A. Mohammed, here on Saturday evening echoed a sentiment that the apex court’s observations against the differential fee structure arrived at between the government and the managements should be given serious consideration.

Sources in the Higher Education Department said a section of the committee members said the spirit of the Supreme Court decision should be protected while arriving at a final decision on the fee structure in the six colleges.

Under the agreement, the annual fee for government seats will be Rs. 45,000. For 35 per cent of the seats, the managements can collect Rs. 5.5 lakh and for Non-Resident Indian students, Rs. 9 lakh will be the fee. The government had set aside the fee structure recommended by the fee regulatory committee while allowing the managements to collect Rs. 5.5 lakh and an additional Rs. 5 lakh by way of caution deposit for the 35 per cent seats.

The committee had actually proposed a minimum annual tuition fee of Rs. 2.4 lakh and a maximum of Rs. 2.58 lakh. The committee will consider its observations made earlier on the higher fee structure proposed by the six colleges. While announcing the committee’s fee structure, Mr. Mohammed had said that it was arrived at on the basis of the income tax reports and audited accounts submitted by the managements. The committee considered the actual expenses required for running a medical college in the State.

Pointing out that the managements had asked for an annual fee ranging between Rs. 3.3 lakh and Rs. 5.5 lakh, Mr. Mohammed had said the committee had rejected the expenditure statements submitted by the managements on three occasions.

Sources said that the fee and admission committees might consider a formula that would help the government generate adequate funds for distribution to poor students.

A decision on the fee structure would be taken only after hearing the government and managements on the fee structure for 2008-09.

The colleges that had entered into an agreement with the government are Karuna Medical College, Palakkad; Gokulam Medical College, SUT Medical College and Sam Somervel Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram; MES Medical College, Kuttippuram; and Kannur Medical College.

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