Thiruvananthapuram: Even though the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) results were declared last week, the fee of self-financing medical colleges in Kerala is yet to be finalised.
Justice R Rajendra Babu committee is expected to take a decision on fee this week.
The Commissioner for Entrance Examinations has sought the results of Kerala students from the National Testing Agency. Once the results are received, the students can submit their roll numbers and get their marks confirmed. The admission process to this year’s MBBS courses will start immediately and without any further delay after the state's rank list is published.
The students will be able to pick the colleges of their choice only after knowing the fee. Even though Justice Rajendra Babu Committee had finalised the fee up to last academic year, the college management had approached the high court against the panel’s decision. The high court ordered that the fee from 2016-17 to last academic year should be revised again.
However, the state government went to the Supreme Court challenging the conditions laid down by the high court for finalising the fee. The Fee Regulatory Committee was awaiting the verdict of the apex court. With the case pending in the Supreme Court, the process of fee restructuring is almost defunct at the moment.
The Rajendra Babu Committee is examining whether there is any legal hurdle in determining the fee at this stage.
It may be recalled that the high court had asked the Fee Regulatory Committee not to factor in the income of the hospitals attached to the medical colleges. The authorities concerned said if the rule is made applicable, it would result in a steep increase in fee and most students would not be able to afford the exorbitant fee.