DMK President MK Stalin has urged Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami to reduce the fees of Rajah Muthiah Medical and Dental College in Chidambaram and Erode Medical College and Hospital in Perundurai on par with other government colleges in the state. The DMK chief said that the two government medical colleges are charging around Rs 5.44 lakh instead of the Rs 13,000 fixed as fees in other government medical colleges.
In a statement, Stalin said, “I condemn the AIADMK-led government for making education a challenge for the students from underprivileged backgrounds by increasing the fees as with private medical colleges. The counselling is conducted for government colleges but fees are collected on par with private medical colleges.”
“The government suddenly announced on November 12 that the fees for Rajah Muthiah Medical College will be Rs 5.44 lakh. Already there is a hearing in the court about the fees and hence the government said Rs 4 lakh in the prospectus but has suddenly increased the amount to Rs 5.44 lakh. This has caused great mental anxiety for parents and children. The AIADMK is shattering the dreams of students due to the increased fees,” he alleged.
In IRT Perundurai Government Medical College, the fees have been fixed as Rs 3.85 lakh, Stalin said. “This has created a doubt if these two colleges are government-run private colleges or government colleges. The fees for government medical colleges are fixed at Rs 13,670 and government dental colleges fees are fixed at Rs 11,610. It is right to only charge the same amount for the Perundurai and Chidambaram medical colleges,” he said.
Stalin also urged the government to change the post-matric scholarship for students with a family income of Rs 2 lakh to family income of Rs 8 lakh so that social justice is ensured and the dreams of the students are realised.
The DMK chief said, “The parents and children are stressed without the money to pay fees in these two colleges as the deadline is approaching on November 30. Even though there have been several demands to reduce the fees, the government is simply maintaining silence. This has created unhappiness for the students.”
Stalin urged the Chief Minister to reduce the fees and make them equivalent to the fees of other government colleges. “Will the Chief Minister reduce the fees and prove that he is interested in the welfare of the students?” he asked.
The fees of these three government colleges are fixed by the state Governing Council and Annamalai University. According to the government prospectus, the fees structure of the Government Erode Medical College and Hospital and the Erode Medical College and Hospital Perundurai is fixed by the Governing Council. The fee structure of Rajah Muthiah Medical and Dental College, Annamalai University, Chidambaram is fixed by Annamalai University.