Students protest against 'unjustified' medical college fee hike in Gujarat

By A Representative

The Gujarat chapter of the All India Democratic Students' Organisation (AIDSO) has strongly opposed the recent fee hike introduced by the Fee Regulatory Committee for undergraduate and postgraduate medical courses. In a formal appeal addressed to the state’s Education Minister, the organization has demanded an immediate rollback of the steep increase, citing concerns over accessibility and affordability of medical education.

In her statement, Rimmi Vaghela, Secretary of AIDSO Gujarat, criticized the Fee Regulatory Committee, stating that instead of serving students' interests, the committee appears to act against them, burdening parents financially. She highlighted that since 1995, no new government medical colleges have been established in the state, forcing aspiring doctors to rely on expensive private institutions.

Furthermore, Vaghela raised concerns over the corporatization of medical education, citing the transformation of Ahmedabad and Surat’s corporation-run medical colleges into institutions charging exorbitant fees similar to private colleges. She warned that continued commercialization would push economically weaker and middle-class students out of medical education, leaving only those who can afford hefty fees in the profession.

The students' organization argued that the rapid privatization and commercialization of medical education could severely impact the ethical and qualitative standards of healthcare professionals in the future. AIDSO Gujarat has demanded a complete reversal of the unfair fee hike in UG and PG medical courses and the establishment of government-funded medical colleges instead of institutions under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model or the GMERS (Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society) framework.

The protest underscores the growing concern over the affordability of education and its impact on future generations of healthcare professionals. With demands intensifying, students are urging the government to take swift action to prevent further marginalization of deserving candidates due to financial barriers.

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