Pokhara, February 2

Students of Gandaki Medical College of Pokhara staged demonstration today accusing the college of charging students more than the fee recommended by the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine.

IoM has fixed Rs 4,245,000 and Rs 502,562 that can be paid in three instalments of 50 per cent and 25 per cent for students who want to study MBBS and BNS respectively outside the Valley, but the college is said to be charging students additional fees under different headings.

Classes at the college have been disrupted since Thursday after the agitating students of MBBS and BNS padlocked the classrooms. They also padlocked the college administration and held a demonstration at Prithvi Chowk yesterday, while memorandums have been submitted to the district administration office and Ministry of Social Development of the province.

“We had deposited Rs 251,281 into the college’s bank account as the first instalment of fees in the first year, but had to post an additional Rs 75,000. Later, we realized that we were not required to pay that much amount at one go as per the rule,” said Rabina Mishra, a second year BNS student.

MBBS third year student Paribartan Bhat also shared a similar experience. “I had paid how much I was supposed to, but the college later asked me to pay an additional Rs 150,000. When I inquired why, they threatened to prevent me from filling exam form and made me cough up the additional amount,” Bhat shared, accusing the college of randomly charging additional amount from students under different headings.

College chairperson Khuma Aryal, however, denied the accusation that the college had charged extra amount. “We’ve charged what we are allowed to as per the rule,” he said, claiming that the students’ allegations were false.