Fee and fair: New rules to regulate education at private medical colleges

Presently, the high fee charged by most private medical colleges makes it impossible for thousands of meritorious students to get admission.

In what may come as a relief to thousands of medical aspirants, the Union Health Ministry has asked the Medical Council of India (MCI)'s Board of Governors (BoG) to prepare draft guidelines for the fee structure in private medical colleges and deemed universities from the next academic session.

In its letter to the BoG, the Health Ministry said, "The Commission on its constitution will frame guidelines for determination of fee which may be enforced from the academic session 2021-22."

"It has been desired that the BoG may prepare draft guidelines for determination of fees and all other charges of 50 per cent of private medical colleges and deemed universities as envisaged under the NMC Act 2019 so that the Commission on its constitution may utilise the same and so that it can be enforced from the next academic session--2020-21 -- onwards for both UG and PG medical admissions," the letter read.

How medical aspirants stand to gain by fee regulation

The Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 had no provision for regulation of fees in private medical colleges.

At present, some states regulate fees of some seats in private colleges through MoUs signed with college managements. In addition, the Supreme Court has set up committees chaired by retired high court judges to fix the fees in private colleges as an interim measure. Deemed to be Universities claim they are not covered by these committees.

Nearly 50 per cent of total MBBS seats in the country are in government colleges, which have nominal fees. Of the remaining seats, 50 per cent would be regulated by NMC.

This means that almost 75 per cent of total seats in the country would be available at reasonable fees.

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Amid row, Hindi imposition clause removed in revised education policy draft

In the earlier draft, the panel had suggested mandatory teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.

Amid controversy over the recommendation of an HRD Ministry panel to teach Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states, a revised draft education policy was issued on Monday that did not have a mention of the language being compulsory.

The DMK and other parties in Tamil Nadu had strongly opposed the three-language formula in the draft National Education Policy and alleged that it was tantamount to thrusting the Hindi language.

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"Students who wish to change one or more of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6 or Grade 7, so long as they are able to still demonstrate proficiency in three languages (one language at the literature level) in their modular Board Examinations some time during secondary school," the revised draft of the NEP said.

In the earlier draft, the panel had suggested mandatory teaching of Hindi in non-Hindi speaking states.

"Students who wish to change one of the three languages they are studying may do so in Grade 6, so long as the study of three languages by students in the Hindi-speaking states would continue to include Hindi and English and one of the modern Indian languages from other parts of India, while the study of languages by students in the non-Hindi-speaking states would include the regional language, Hindi and English," the draft policy had earlier said.

The PMK, an ally of the BJP, had also alleged that the recommendation was imposition of Hindi and wanted the scrapping of the proposal.

"It was a draft report and not a policy yet. We have sought feedback from various stakeholders. The committee has modified the earlier draft and made some changes," a Human Resource Development Ministry official said.

According to the revised draft, the modular board examinations for language proficiency would test only basic proficiency in each language. "Such a change in language choice in Grade 6 would certainly be feasible if the student so desires and would in such cases be supported by teachers and the schooling system."

Union minister Prakash Javadekar, who had the formed the panel when he was the HRD minister in the previous term, had earlier asserted that no language should be imposed on anyone. He clarified that the committee had only prepared a draft report and no decision had been taken on implementing it.