Parents of SC/ST students in Tamil Nadu sound alarm over steep cash demands from private medical colleges. Complaints emerged at press conference in Chennai Tuesday,where parents said these schools charge ₹6 lakh to ₹10 lakh each year under different labels,including a so-called 'development fee'.
M. Bharathan,from the AKAM Foundation,said this is rampant in private medical colleges. Out of 2,500 medical seats for SC/ST students,only about 1,100 get filled because of these costs. Tuition is covered by government for both government and management quota students through post-matric scholarships,but extra cash is demanded on top of this support.
One parent,anonymous,shared how he managed his child's admission,paying ₹7.7 lakh in cash. He did it by selling gold jewelry,taking loans at high interest. Then he learned he'd need to pay same amount next year for his child to take first-year exams . Another parent even sold his house to fund his child's medical studies.
Parents are frustrated over the lack of receipts for these payments,raising issues of transparency. Bharathan urged the Income Tax Department to step in,suggesting raids during admissions to tackle these practices.
This problem isn't limited to medical colleges . G. Chandramohan from AKAM Foundation noted similar issues in engineering colleges. Government gives ₹50,000 scholarships for tuition,but private colleges have hiked fees,especially for courses like Computer Science and Engineering. Some management seats now cost ₹1.5 lakh annually,putting pressure on lower-income students.
Bharathan called on government to scrap Government Order 72 and reassess scholarships to match real course fees. He also pushed for fee fixation committee for Arts and Science colleges,where SC/ST students get just ₹1,500 a year in scholarships.
Financial pressure on families seeking good education for their kids highlights major barrier for marginalized communities in Tamil Nadu. As parents face this struggle,call for systemic change is getting louder…
