Govt gives 15-day ultimatum to private medical colleges to return additional fees

KATHMANDU, Nov 11: The government has given an ultimatum of 15 days to the private medical colleges to return the additional fees collected from the students.

Although the Education Ministry and the Home Ministry have been publicly urging the private medical colleges to refund the money since March, the colleges has defied the government instruction.

The government, on Sept 23, had warned legal action against the colleges if they fail to refund their money within a month. However, the colleges turned deaf ears to the government directives, which prompted the students to begin strike on Nov 4.

Two days ago, the agitating medical students had met Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa and urged him to take action against those medical colleges immediately.

“We are requesting the private medical colleges to implement the directives of the education and the home ministry. If they don’t defy our instruction, we will be compelled to take legal action,” said Minister for Education Girirajmani Pokhrael during a press conference organized at the ministry on Monday.

Medical students have been staging protest against the private medical colleges for the past several months demanding they comply with the fee as determined by the government.

A cabinet meeting on Oct 14 last year had set the fee at Rs 3.85 million for MBBS students inside the Kathmandu Valley and Rs 4.245 million outside the valley. However, the colleges have been charging up to six million rupees.