What explains the huge variation in fees collected by pvt med colleges?
Costs Range From ₹5L To ₹25L, Deemed Univs Charge The Most
Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com
The recent suicide by a student in a private medical college because she couldn’t pay the fees has highlighted the exorbitant fees.
They vary widely even within a state or city, raising the issue of colleges overcharging despite the Supreme Court repeatedly ruling that education cannot be for profit.
The average annual tuition fees for MBBS in private colleges varies from about ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh, with deemed universities typically charging the most.
Data for the 2017 fees in about 210 private colleges given to the Medical Council of India shows only 25 averaged ₹5 lakh or less and about half averaged under ₹8 lakh.
“Are colleges charging ₹5 lakh or less imparting inferior education? Or are those charging ₹20 lakh giving superior education? They are all following the MCI curriculum. How can there be such a huge difference?” asked Dr Vivek Korde of the forum against commercialisation of education.
The difference can’t be explained by factors like higher costs in big cities. In Pune, the average fees range from ₹6 lakh to over ₹17 lakh, in Mumbai from ₹7.7 lakh to ₹25 lakh, and in Bangalore from ₹4 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
After the SC ruled that states can regulate medical college fees to curb commercialisation and promote merit, states constituted fee fixation committees. Colleges submit their expenses, on the basis of which the committees fix the fees.
Many claim higher expenses for extra amenities. However, Jawaharlal Shanmugham, the petitioner in a case against deemed universities in Tamil Nadu, pointed out that “luxurious facilities cannot be the criteria to fix exorbitant fees.”
Dr Korde too said fees ought to be based only on expenses for facilities mandated by MCI. “Tomorrow, they could have a helipad, but they cannot charge students for it,” he added. Many colleges allegedly inflate expenses through fake lists of teachers and staff.
Last year, a Maharashtra college was in news for showing 250 teachers on its rolls when students claimed there were just 41. Many deemed universities and their affiliated colleges have escaped the jurisdiction of the fee fixation committees.
In Rajasthan, all private medical colleges are affiliated to deemed universities and their average fees range from roughly ₹15 lakh to ₹18 lakh.
In the eight deemed universities in Tamil Nadu, fees range from ₹18.5 lakh to ₹22.5 lakh.
On Shanmugham’s petition, the Madras high court has asked the University Grants Commission to constitute a fee committee for deemed universities.
Under the law, only nonprofit societies or charitable trusts could run medical colleges till the government in November 2016 permitted private companies to run them.
These trusts and societies are exempt from income tax on the grounds that they raise funds to provide affordable education for meritorious students.
“If they charge the students for every paise spent on them, where is the charity?” asked Dr Korde, adding that it was a case of government inaction as most colleges were owned by politicians.
“Such high fees are beyond the reach of any common meritorious student. When the beneficiaries are rich students, these institutions do not perform any charitable activity,” stated Shanmugham.
Costs Range From ₹5L To ₹25L, Deemed Univs Charge The Most
Rema.Nagarajan@timesgroup.com
The recent suicide by a student in a private medical college because she couldn’t pay the fees has highlighted the exorbitant fees.
They vary widely even within a state or city, raising the issue of colleges overcharging despite the Supreme Court repeatedly ruling that education cannot be for profit.
The average annual tuition fees for MBBS in private colleges varies from about ₹5 lakh to ₹25 lakh, with deemed universities typically charging the most.
Data for the 2017 fees in about 210 private colleges given to the Medical Council of India shows only 25 averaged ₹5 lakh or less and about half averaged under ₹8 lakh.
“Are colleges charging ₹5 lakh or less imparting inferior education? Or are those charging ₹20 lakh giving superior education? They are all following the MCI curriculum. How can there be such a huge difference?” asked Dr Vivek Korde of the forum against commercialisation of education.
The difference can’t be explained by factors like higher costs in big cities. In Pune, the average fees range from ₹6 lakh to over ₹17 lakh, in Mumbai from ₹7.7 lakh to ₹25 lakh, and in Bangalore from ₹4 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
After the SC ruled that states can regulate medical college fees to curb commercialisation and promote merit, states constituted fee fixation committees. Colleges submit their expenses, on the basis of which the committees fix the fees.
Many claim higher expenses for extra amenities. However, Jawaharlal Shanmugham, the petitioner in a case against deemed universities in Tamil Nadu, pointed out that “luxurious facilities cannot be the criteria to fix exorbitant fees.”
Dr Korde too said fees ought to be based only on expenses for facilities mandated by MCI. “Tomorrow, they could have a helipad, but they cannot charge students for it,” he added. Many colleges allegedly inflate expenses through fake lists of teachers and staff.
Last year, a Maharashtra college was in news for showing 250 teachers on its rolls when students claimed there were just 41. Many deemed universities and their affiliated colleges have escaped the jurisdiction of the fee fixation committees.
In Rajasthan, all private medical colleges are affiliated to deemed universities and their average fees range from roughly ₹15 lakh to ₹18 lakh.
In the eight deemed universities in Tamil Nadu, fees range from ₹18.5 lakh to ₹22.5 lakh.
On Shanmugham’s petition, the Madras high court has asked the University Grants Commission to constitute a fee committee for deemed universities.
Under the law, only nonprofit societies or charitable trusts could run medical colleges till the government in November 2016 permitted private companies to run them.
These trusts and societies are exempt from income tax on the grounds that they raise funds to provide affordable education for meritorious students.
“If they charge the students for every paise spent on them, where is the charity?” asked Dr Korde, adding that it was a case of government inaction as most colleges were owned by politicians.
“Such high fees are beyond the reach of any common meritorious student. When the beneficiaries are rich students, these institutions do not perform any charitable activity,” stated Shanmugham.
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