The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has emphasized that the recent announcement about undergraduate test costs was not an excessive charge to students.
The IOM informed medical colleges connected with Tribhuvan University that the fee for standard undergraduate medical exams is Rs. 9,000 per student, while the charge for supplement exams is Rs. 3,000, in a notice issued on Sunday.
Following the notification, medical students and their organizations criticized the new tuition structure, claiming it was nearly four times higher than the previous one.
“The college had previously charged us Rs. 2,500 in regular examination fees. The examination price is now Rs. 9,000, according to the IOM notice,” stated Anit Sinha, a final-year MBBS student at Gandaki Medical College.
On Monday, the National Medical Student Association (NMSA), a group of MBBS students, issued a statement urging that the IOM reverse its decision to raise examination fees.
“If the examination fee is not cut, we will be compelled to take drastic actions,” NMSA said in a statement.
Officials from the IOM, on the other hand, stated that the notice was issued to clarify the cost structure and that it would only apply to new batches of undergraduate courses.
“Students do not have to pay any additional costs for regular or supplement exams. According to Dr. Dibya Singh Shah, dean of IOM, “the directed fee is to be provided by medical colleges from the overall fee cap set by the government for individual medical courses.”
The government increased the pricing structure for medical courses about five months ago, blaming inflation. The fee for MBBS courses has been increased to Rs. 4,023,250 for institutions in the Kathmandu Valley (up from Rs. 3.8 million) and Rs. 4,436,025 for colleges outside the valley (up from Rs. 4.24 million).
“The pricing structure isn’t well broken down.” The current announcement on examination costs is intended to clarify the amount that colleges must pay for examination services supplied by TU and IOM,” Dr. Singh informed The Rising Nepal.
Students will not be charged more than the fee cap, according to Dr. Singh. “Students can register a complaint with TU, IOM, or the Medical Education Commission if they are charged more than the fee cap.”
source: risingnepal
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