‘Fee scandals’ in medical colleges exposed by NGO

EXORBITANT FEES: Colleges allegedly exploit loopholes by asking extra hostel and mess charges; delayed reimbursements force students to cover upfront fees, violating scholarship goals

- Vikrant Jha

A Mumbai-based NGO, Mission Awareness Foundation (MAF), has accused private medical colleges in Maharashtra of engaging in corrupt practices. The NGO claims that many colleges delay announcing fee structures and provide no clarity when they do, particularly in AYUSH colleges during the online admission process.

“None of the state's AYUSH colleges released fee structure before the students state their choice of college during the online admission process,” the NGO alleged.

MAF also alleged that several colleges are not implementing the state-mandated 50% scholarships for male students from marginalised groups - economically backward classes (EBCs), economically weaker section (EWS), other backward classes (OBCs), and socially and educationally backward classes (SEBCs) - and 100% scholarships for female students. “Out of 245 private AYUSH and physiotherapy colleges, only two provide full scholarships for girls,” MAF president Abdul Rehman alleged.