Parents, students protest steep hike in private medical fees

Ahmedabad: A day after the fees for around 1,200 private medical, dental and paramedical colleges in Gujarat were raised, parents and students protested at the fee regulatory committee (FRC) office on Saturday.The FRC announced new fees for medical colleges for 2024-25 and paramedical and dental colleges for the next three years, with increases ranging from 2% to 25%, averaging 12%. The new fee structures do not apply to the 13 medical colleges run by Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS).Protesters argued that the steep increase would push middle-class students to pursue medical education abroad as many can no longer afford local fees. A similar hike in GMERS medical colleges had already sparked protests, leading to a partial rollback. The new increases in private colleges are adding to the financial burden on families, said protestors.Demonstrators gathered at the FRC office, and left a memorandum outside as the office was closed. The memorandum demanded a rollback, stating the fee hike is unjustifiable, especially as some fees had already been paid with admission forms.Ahmedabad: On Saturday, a day after the increase in fees for about 1,200 private medical, dental, and paramedical colleges in the state, parents and students wanting to pursue medical, dental, and paramedical education staged protests at the office of the Fee Regulatory Committee (FRC). On Friday, the committee announced new fees for medical colleges for 2024-25, while for paramedical and dental colleges, new fees were announced for the upcoming three years. The fee committee has allowed different colleges to increase their fees by up to 2% and up to 25%, with an average increase of 12%. The new fee structures do not apply to Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) run 13 medical colleges.Parents and students demanded a rollback of the increased fees, arguing that the hike will force students to pursue medical studies abroad. The protesters stated, "If fees in the state's medical colleges continue to rise in this manner, students from middle-class backgrounds will not be able to afford it anymore, and students will be forced to go abroad for medical studies."This follows a similar fee hike in GMERS medical colleges, which led to strong protests from parents. Although the govt partially reduced the GMERS fee hike, the fee committee has now increased the fees for private medical colleges, placing an additional financial strain on families.In response to the fee hike, parents and students gathered at the office of the committee in Ahmedabad to voice their anger. As the office was closed, the protesters left a memorandum outside, demanding the rollback of the exorbitant fee hike. They maintained that the fee increase is unjustifiable, particularly since students have already paid some fees along with their admission forms. MSID:: 112766977 413 |