Medical 40:60, dental 35:65


CET 2007 students can heave a sigh of relief. The state government and private college managements on Thursday agreed for a seat-sharing ratio of 40:60 for MBBS and 35:65 for BDS courses for the academic year 2007-08.

 
With this, students are spared of the annual CET trauma. Fees for medical courses under the management quota has gone up from Rs 2.9 lakh last year to Rs 3.25 lakh. Government quota students will continue to pay Rs 35,000 like last year. However, there is no two-slab fee structure under the government quota.

 
Though the government has lost 10% MBBS seats compared with last year when the ratio was 50:50, it is hopeful that it will get 300 seats if the Medical Council of India (MCI) approves the remaining three new government medical colleges this academic year. “Since we are ready with the MCI norms, we are confident that these three medical colleges will commence this year,’’ medical education minister V S Acharya told reporters after a meeting with private colleges led by Comed-K.

 
In dental too, this year the government has lost out 15% seats to the private institutions since the ratio was 50:50 last year. Acharya had an explanation for this too: “Last year 832 dental seats remained unfilled. Managements told us to increase their share so that they will be able to fill it up. Hence, their share of seats has gone up this year.’’

 
At the meeting, colleges told the government to retain this formula for the next three years so that they are spared of the yearly exercise of negotiating with the government. “We told them that the proposal will be placed before the cabinet,’’ higher education minister D H Shankaramurthy said.

(TOI Dated: 09/02/2007)