Chitwan Medical College announced the adjustment of fees for first year MBBS students on Friday.

MBBS students of CMC had launched a protest on August 27, accusing the college administration of charging them more fees than what was fixed by the government. On September 21, the students had ended their protest with the signing of an agreement in the District Administration Office.

As per the agreement, the college has to return the extra money it has taken from students or adjust the fee by November 4.

Organising a press meet in Bharatpur on Friday, Dr Harish Neupane, a promoter of the medical college said that the college will not refund the fees, but will adjust the fees of MBBS students enrolled in the academic year 2018/19.

The government had fixed Rs3.85 million for MBBS programmes inside Kathmandu Valley and Rs4.24 million outside the Valley in 2017. But the college has been charging a fee (examination and others) of up to Rs600, 000. According to Neupane, the college is going to exclude examination fees, Nepal Medical Council’s registration fee, organisation fee, community fee, internship fee, internal exam fee, hostel fee and meal charges. “After we cut off these fees we can save up to Rs 200,000. We are only going to adjust that amount,” he said.

The college, however, will not be adjusting the fees of other MBBS batches citing that the college has charged the fees as recommended by the Tribhuvan University.

However, agitating students have not agreed with the announcement of the college administration. Prakash Chand, coordinator of the Medical Education Struggle Committee, a body formed by agitating MBBS students, said that they have demanded the adjustment of fees for MBBS first- and second-year students and a refund of the additional fees of MBBS third- and fourth-year students. “We are fixed on our positions and demands. We won’t accept anything beyond that,” said Chand.

According to Chand, they are going to launch a protest programme against the college’s dilly-dallying approach to their problems.