Medical and engineering self-financing college: My observation on past 1.5 decade
An unsolved issue for 1.5 decade. When the merit vanishes....
Self financing medical college related admission and fee structure issues have been going on for almost 1.5 decades unresolved and unanswered. I was watching through these years initially as a student with a dream. In my case I realised that 4000 students were superior and more intelligent than me in medical entrance and 6000 more intelligent fellows in engineering to reach rank 1. When I added both the ranks in medical and engineering it was coming around ten thousand. Self financing colleges were coming into mainstream for the first time in the start of 2000-01 and they flourished like anything. I was always ready to accept failure than success and was not able understand the inverse correlation between money and mark in these years. That was a time when engineering seats were available for about Rs. 36000 and the merit seats at merit fees. We happily produced a large number of engineers. I walked away in silence with no regret and at that age with little sadness at some point of mind. Those years saw the current youth leaders P. C. Vishwanath and T. V. Rajesh fighting under a student banner, every year, for the same issue at the time of counselling. It was creating leaders during those times even though a permanent solution never came out. People like Sindu Joy faded away in long run. I saw all these as a mere observer.
For few years I was observing the trend. Fees and ranks for admission went soaring high. Seems that had gone proportional in these years. Today I see students below a rank of 10,000 in NEET being abandoned, while a student with a rank more than 1,00,000 is picked with the primary criteria for screening becoming money and merit vanishing away. Today I see colleges like Kannur medical college and Karuna keeping their seats for sale. 10 lakh per year and bank guarantee more than 50 lakh! First criteria in screening is the money. Kids even less than 10000 rank in NEET comes out as they failed to arrange money, but a rank of 1 lakh and this money make you Doctor. Even though a complex issue, govt and courts have failed solve problem in the last 1.5 decade. I am not against self financing colleges and the system. It has produced a lot of good doctors and engineers to the system. During those years I was wondering why all the annual strikes in front of secretariat failed to find a solution year after year. I was thinking with my small mind getting solution for myself for few. I do remember the earlier formula of 50:50 seat distributions and so on. But the basic underlying problem that ruined these strikes and system might be the following: 1. If parents want to make their kid a doctor or an engineer without taking merit, who can prevent if money can buy it for you? That is dharma 2. I don't blame students of that tender age. They know to study and achieve it. But when you are put in such a situation no one will say no to it or say 'Let the merit prevail. Let the one ahead of me get his right' Basic reason for the failure of these controlling formulas over merit and fees structure is the demand. My life too kept moving. As my parents said life is a long journey and most important thing is to keep on flowing. My father always tried 100 things in his life in different forms and failed most of the times without regret. But he did one thing for me which I always like to remember now. He took me to an Arts and Science College. On the very first day in that college, we were happily welcomed by student organisations, and even participated in two student marches, one by SFI and another by KSU, both were focusing on self-financing college issues. New comers were like that in that lively campus, where one march ends the next one starts. I had to pay Rs. 78/- a month as fees for the complete package of education plus the life I experienced. A plate of our favourite dish Biriyani was more costly than fees paid for 1 month. Feeling left out failing to be a doctor or engineer made my life moved on. Now another year and the same situation. Student organisations have faded away. Leaders who were born from the strikes during those time leading in the banner of youth today. I could find lot of positives during those years even though I was just an observer. 1. Lot of opportunities was created and all were studying in our own state. Finally our state is special. 2. Flow of students to other states for engineering and medicine have come down. 3. Money in term of fees reached in the hands of our own startups. 4. Lot of opportunities were created in form of academic and non academic staffs. 5. At last the dream of making kids doctors and engineers became a reality. 6. Many became successful doctors and engineers Now at last the drama will go for another decade. Few things can change even though merit and fees structure cannot be implemented. Karuna medical college can change its name. The word don't suit. Kannur medical college too can change its name. A private college doesn't need the name of a place. Let us have a control over the system which is going on for such a long time. Else a situation will come when admission to such courses can be bought through online shopping or in auction. At the end of the day, no one was defeated in this issue which ran for so long. Able students still have the opportunity to study in the best colleges in government fees. So hard work still don't go in vain as was 15 years back. |