Students can apply to management, NRI seats in medical colleges today

Thiruvananthapuram: Almost all self-financing medical colleges have agreed to extend the last date of receiving applications for admission through the management and non-resident Indian quotas to Tuesday midnight. Justice J.M. James committee had asked the colleges to allow students time until Tuesday since the colleges and the government reached an agreement only on Thursday.

The allotment to the government-selected seats will be held late on Tuesday. Students can list out their options until noon. All but four self-financing medical colleges have reached an agreement with the government on the admission procedures and fees. All 14 members of the self-financing dental college managements’ association signed a deal on Monday.

The Karuna Medical College at Palakkad had gone to the Kerala High Court challenging the government’s move to invite options from students seeking admission to the college. The college, along with the Anjarakkandi Medical College in Kannur and the Travancore Medicity in Kollam, has not opened their website for students to apply.

Health department officials said that more colleges will sign the agreement with the government in the coming days. These colleges will come under close scrutiny if they go ahead with admission without cooperating with the government. Any violation of rules regarding admissions will draw strict disciplinary action from the government and the Kerala University of Health Sciences.

The managements are not impressed with Justice James’ insistence on transparency in admissions. They have started lobbying for a reconstitution of the committee but the government has stood its ground so far. The managements are likely to step up their opposition if Justice James prevails upon them to stick to inter-se merit in management and NRI quotas.

The government will go ahead with the allotment of options to colleges except the ones who had not signed an agreement and those who have not yet been granted recognition. Options granted to these colleges will be cancelled.

Two medical colleges which were supposed to start this year would not be able to admit students pending the completion of affiliation process with the health varsity. Justice Lodha Commission has made it clear any approval given to any colleges stands null and void in the event the health university does not recognize them.

S.R. College at Varkala and Kerala Medical Colleges at Palakkad will lose their recognition.

Self-financing college managements are supposed to notify the government about any vacancies after the first allotment of options so that the commissioner of entrance examinations can allot the next batch to those seats. College managements who fail to notify the vacant seats will be subject to stern actions.

The Justice James committee has asked the college managements to publicize the list of applicants to the management and NRI quota on their website by Wednesday. Any complaints regarding the list can be raised with the management or the committee until September 8. The list of eligible candidates has to be put out by September 9 and a copy sent to the committee.

The committee has said that the first stage of admissions should be completed on September 17 and the second stage by September 27.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties are up in arms saying that the government is trying to weaken the interference of the committee to help out the managements. They allege that the government was trying to do away with monitoring to the management and NRI quota seats.