Mumbai: Maharashtra’s Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell on Thursday threatened private medical and dental colleges with legal action for refusing to admit students over unpaid dues from the state government.

Maharashtra University of Health Sciences

The CET Cell issued a notice stating its intention to recommend disciplinary measures against the colleges to the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS). All institutes imparting education in health science in Maharashtra are affiliated with the MUHS.

The notice was issued following complaints from several students who were denied admission during the second round of the admission process. The management of several private medical and dental colleges halted their admissions process after becoming frustrated with the non-payment of education scholarship funds owed by various state government departments. Many students who had secured seats in this round were turned away on Thursday, leaving their futures in limbo.

One parent, who had travelled from Pune to Navi Mumbai for their daughter’s admission, expressed their frustration. “We lost the whole day. I took leave from work, and when we arrived at the college, they refused to admit my daughter, citing an association letter. Despite several requests, we had no choice but to return home,” she said.

In response to students’ complaints, the CET Cell has threatened legal action against the institutions involved. The cell has made it clear that any refusal to admit students without valid justification violates the Maharashtra Unaided Private Vocational Educational Institutions Act, 2015.

Meanwhile, the Association of Managements of Private Unaided Medical and Dental Colleges of Maharashtra (AMUPMDC) defended its position, highlighting the financial difficulties faced by colleges. “Almost 50% of seats in private institutions are reserved, and now the government is also covering the education fees for female students [under a new populist scheme announced earlier this year]. However, we have not received the fee reimbursements for over a year and a half. We still need to pay our employees and teachers. If the government had reimbursed us on time, we wouldn’t have been forced to take this decision,” said an AMUPMDC representative.

The conflict came to a head following a meeting on September 26 between the AMUPMDC and Maharashtra’s medical education minister, Hasan Mushrif. During the meeting, the association raised concerns about delayed scholarship payments and other issues affecting the financial health of private medical and dental institutions.

The association requested the CET Cell to refrain from publishing the admission selection list for its affiliated colleges until the matter was resolved. However, no formal resolution has been reached, and letters have yet to be sent to the concerned government departments to expedite the reimbursement process.

In an October 1 letter to the state medical education department, AMUPMDC said the government had not compensated them for several fee concessions offered to weaker sections of the society. It also raised concerns over the government’s new populist scheme to provide free professional education to female students from families with an annual income of below ₹8 lakh. The association said the scheme would increase the financial burden on colleges as the state government isn’t reimbursing them on time.

The ongoing dispute between private medical colleges and the Maharashtra government is creating significant stress for students who are already grappling with the intense pressures of medical admissions. Brijesh Sutaria, an education activist, expressed concern over the impact this issue could have on students. “NEET UG 2024 aspirants have already faced numerous challenges, and further delays will only increase their anxiety. Additionally, students from Maharashtra may miss out on the NEET UG 2024 counselling round 3, where additional seats are available due to the establishment of eight new government medical colleges in Maharashtra and two in other states,” he said.

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