Parents oppose private medical colleges’ advance fee

Ask Chief Minister to intervene in issue

Parents of MBBS students in the State’s private medical colleges have sought the intervention of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan against the managements’ insistence on advance payment of fees even when the classes and exams have been delayed due to COVID-19. Most private medical colleges, except those run by Christian managements, have asked the students to pay the fee for the next academic year by this month. Some have even threatened to charge 1% fine if fee is not paid before the deadline. The parents are angry over the imbalance in academic progress and levying of tuition fees. For example, students of the 2017 MBBS batch have been asked to pay the fifth year’s fees when they have not even taken their third year’s examination. Similarly, students of the 2018 batch have been asked to pay their fourth year’s fees though they are yet to write their second year examination.