After a complaint surfaced regarding a medical college in Nagpur requiring three years of academic fees upfront, the state Fee Regulating Authority (FRA) has instructed the dean of the institution to provide a commitment ensuring that they will refrain from demanding any fees in advance.
Although the directive was issued in March, it was only recently disclosed in the minutes of the meeting released by the authority. The decision was prompted by a letter from the father of a second-year student at NKP Salve Institute of Medical Sciences to the FRA. The father claimed that the college demanded payment of tuition fees for three academic years within 18 to 20 months of admission.
Despite the college’s assertion that it has addressed the complaint, the FRA insisted that the institution submit an affidavit committing to adhere to the Maharashtra Unaided Private Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admissions and Fees) Act, 2015. Additionally, the authority mandated the institute to publicize the fee payment schedule for the entire four-and-a-half-year duration of the course, in accordance with the request made by the complainant.
The Act mandates that professional colleges cannot charge more than a year’s worth of fees within a single academic year. Additionally, any surplus amount requested by the college is classified as a capitation fee, which may lead to disciplinary action against the institution.
During the hearing conducted by the FRA, there is no documentation indicating whether the college acknowledged or disputed the student’s allegation. However, the institute’s representative informed the authority that the complainant had opted to withdraw the grievance due to what was described as a “miscommunication” and “misunderstanding.”
According to the college’s claim, the complainant had requested the disposal of the complaint. Additionally, the father, who did not attend the authority’s hearing, had sent an email to the FRA in March stating his decision to withdraw the complaint. He cited concerns about his son’s professional prospects as the reason for this decision and mentioned that he chose not to pursue the matter further due to his identity being revealed.