Kochi: Dental colleges charging huge hostel, mess fee
The Committee went on to fix the hostel and mess fee of these colleges: A parent requesting anonymity.
KOCHI: The students of several private dental colleges in the state are a harried lot with these colleges collecting huge sums as hostel fee and mess fee with the fee regulatory committee failing to fix the same for these colleges from the year 2017 onwards.
The parents of these students who are paying the tuition fee by taking bank loans say it is an unbearable burden while the colleges are telling them that the money collected in excess in this regard will be refunded once the fee regulatory committee headed by Justice R. Rajendra Babu fixed the fees.
"In the order fixing the special fee for all member dental colleges under All Kerala Self Financing Dental College Management Consortium, the fee regulatory committee had said that hostel and mess fees for these colleges were not fixed as the colleges had not submitted the proposal in this regard. Century, Kannur, Pariyaram, PMS and Pushpagiri Dental Colleges do not come under the consortium. The Committee went on to fix the hostel and mess fee of these colleges. This happened for 2017-18 and 2018-19 admissions," said a parent requesting anonymity.
"So, member dental colleges of the consortium are collecting hostel and mess fees at their discretion saying that they will refund the excess amount when the committee fixed the fees. Azeezia Dental College has been collecting Rs. 75,000 as hostel fees and Rs. 45,000 as mess fees (total Rs. 1,20,000) for 2017-18 and 2018-19 admissions every year. Royal Dental Colleges is collecting only Rs. 40,000 as hostel fees and they follow dividing system for mess. The delay on the part of the fee regulatory committee is a convenience for the member dental colleges under the consortium to collect exorbitant rates towards hostel and mess fees.
The committee, though has fixed tuition fee and special fee, has not fixed the hostel and mess fees for the consortium colleges in the 2019-20 admissions also," said the parent.
The consortium colleges are Annoor Dental College, Educare Institute, Malabar Dental College, Mar Baselios Dental College, Noorul Islam College, PSM College, Sree Anjaneya Institute, St Gregorios Dental College, Al Azhar Dental College, Azeezia College, Indira Gandhi Institute, Royal Dental College, MES Dental College, KMCT Dental College and Sree Sankara Dental College.