Govt issues 24-hour ultimatum to medical colleges

KATHMANDU: The government has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to medical colleges to return the extra fees taken from the students, or face action.

A meeting held at the Ministry of Home Affairs Home on Monday decided to take action against the medical colleges taking extra fees from the students.

The meeting was attended by Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Minister of Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel, Attorney General Agni Kharel, among others.

“Now that guardians and students cannot be mere spectators. The government will take stern action against those colleges,” a participant at the meeting said.

Even though the 15-day deadline given to medical colleges ended today, the medical colleges have yet to return the fees to the students.

The government had last year fixed a ceiling on the amount colleges could take from MBBS students. While a medical college can charge Rs 3.85 million in Kathmandu Valley, a college form outside the valley can take up to Rs 4.24 million.

MBBS students of Chitwan Medical College and other colleges have been protesting the colleges’ decision to charge an extra fees from them.

However, the medical colleges have been found charging extra money under different headings.