Students of Gandaki Medical College of Pokhara have again started agitation.
The students have started peaceful agitation after the college management defied the government instruction to return the extra payment it charged over the fee set by the government.
The Cabinet meeting on October 14, 2018 had set a fee of Rs 3.85 million for MBBS students inside the Kathmandu Valley, and Rs 4.245 million outside the Valley. The colleges can only charge Rs 2,500 and Rs 500 in registration fees on top of that, and hostel and mess charges if the students stay at their hostel. But colleges have been charging up to Rs 5.50 million from each student.
The Education Ministry on March 26 had instructed private medical colleges to return the extra money if they have overcharged after agreement reached in the meeting of agitating students of Gandaki and representatives of the association of private medical colleges including chairman Basuruddin Ansari and promoter of Chitwan Medical College Haris Chandra Neupane called by Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel.
But the colleges including Gandaki and Chitwan Medical College have yet to return the extra money and are still putting pressure on students to pay above the fee set by the government.
Student leader of Gandaki Anit Sinha said the students have stopped classes for the past six days and are demanding resignation of Education Minister Pokharel for failing to implement his decision.
The students of Gandaki had started agitation in February as well and continued it for 54 days. It had ended only after Education Minister Pokharel convened the meeting of students and representatives of medical colleges including promoter of Gandaki, and the promoters agreed that they will obey any decision taken by the ministry.
The ministry had instructed to return the extra money after that but the extra money has yet to be returned.
Students of Chitwan medical College have also been agitating for over two weeks.
