The Department of Medical Education's (DME) data revealed that a large share of medical seats under the NRI/management quota in Karnataka are unfilled. It has stated that between 2017 and 2021, 72 percent of the total seats allotted under the NRI/management quota were unfilled. Colleges were then given these seats back.
According to a report in a prominent newspaper, the seats went unclaimed during the Karnataka Examinations Authority's (KEA) counselling rounds due to expensive prices.
However, the government and private quota seats at private medical institutions, as well as the management and NRI quota seats have been almost filled.
This accounts for an average of 88 percent of total seats, with the remaining 12 percent allocated for NRI/management quotas being returned to the college pools each year. When seats are returned to institutions unclaimed, the costs for each seat are decreased.
Despite the hefty fees, students are claimed to choose seats in the top four to five universities, while seats in other schools are generally reduced by a few lakhs at most, according to reports.
On average, students are obliged to spend between Rs. 1.1 crore and Rs. 2.7 crore through the NRI/management quota to finish the four-and-a-half-year programme, with yearly fees ranging from Rs. 25 lakhs to Rs. 60 lakhs.
|
Year |
Percentage of seats that remained vacant |
|
2017 |
81% |
|
2018 |
64.5% |
|
2019 |
67.4% |
|
2020 |
83.3% |
|
2021 |
63.2 % |
The table above displays an annual breakdown of the data from the DME website, revealing how many seats from the NRI/management quota remained unfilled each year.
According to DME statistics, following the Undergraduate-NEET test in 2021, approximately 600 seats from the quota were returned to institutions.
According to a renowned newspaper, colleges have made their own plans to fill the vacancies.
They'd have a list of eager students ready in advance to fill seats that had become empty.
These students had an edge since they could pay their college tuition in cash, but if they had gone via KEA counselling, they would have had to pay using demand drafts.
The KEA also mandates universities to post fees paid by students for the first year on its portal, according to the article. According to the KEA mandate, college tuition can be reduced after the first year, and some private medical institutions offer package bargains if fees are paid in advance, but many colleges hardly follow this mandate.