By Our Correspondent
Biratnagar, Dec. 31: The new batch of MBBS students at Biratnagar-based Nobel Medical College have been prohibited to attend classes after they denied paying the extra fess demanded by the college.
The Nobel Medical College (NMC) has been demanding an extra amount of Rs. 1 million from the students going beyond the fee ceiling set by the government.
The classes of the first year MBBS students was scheduled to start from December 5 but the demand for extra fees has upset the schedule.

The students have already deposited Rs. 1,478,675 in the account of Kathmandu University as the first instalment under the rule set by the government as per the National Medical Education Act.
However, the college is demanding more money under the heading of university affiliation fee and hostel fee.

Last week, the college administration had assured to not demand internship fee from the students in the presence of Morang Chief District Officer Kashi Raj Dahal.
Demanding more fees has been termed illicit from all concerned authorities.

The students were allowed to take classes for three days after the directive from the CDO. But on Wednesday, the students not paying extra fees were barred from attending their classes.
In a bid to be prevent forbidden students from entering classes, the administration has shifted their classes in the hospital building from the college building. Security guards were also deployed to prohibit selected students.
The students protested against the move of the college but to no avail.

CDO Dahal warned to take action against the college for demanding extra fees but it was not the first one.
The Medical Education Commission has also ‘only’ published several notices asking the colleges to not demand extra fees.

Among the 100 students in the new batch of MBBS in NMC, only 27 (including foreign and Nepali) students are taking their classes as they paid the extra fees.
The agitating students informed that the college administration asked them to request the MEC and university for taking their responsibility.

Regarding the demand of making hostel mandatory, NMC’s public relation officer Narayan Dahal informed that they constructed hostel after authorities made it mandatory to get affiliation.
“We made the hostel after it was mandatory for gaining affiliation. It is why we made it mandatory for the students,” said Dahal.
He also informed that college officials and MEC officials were in talks.

Under the hostel fee, students are asked Rs. 144,000 annually. However, students informed that hostel had no proper services and they were free to choose whether to stay at the hostel
or not.

The students said they were facing mental stress as they have not been allowed to start their course properly and feared that the problem would continue for long.