Karnataka: Plan to establish govt. medical colleges under PPP model draws flak

The All India Democratic Students’ Organisation (AIDSO) has criticised the reported statement of Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil that the State government has proposed to establish six new government medical colleges under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

“This proposal, announced during a press conference in Mysuru by the Minister, is yet another step towards the privatisation, commercialisation, and corporatisation of education, particularly medical education. The PPP model, in the name of development, is nothing but a tool to hand over public resources to private profiteers. Such models have led to exorbitant fees, erosion of academic standards, and denial of access to students from poor and middle-class backgrounds,” said Nithin, district secretary, AIDSO Mysuru.

In a statement here, AIDSO said, “Education — especially medical education — is not a commodity for sale, but a social right that must be ensured by the government itself. Instead of succumbing to the dictates of corporate lobbies and others, the government must allocate adequate funds from the public exchequer to strengthen and expand fully government-run medical institutions.”

The AIDSO has called upon students, teachers, and all progressive sections of the society to resist this “anti-people move” and demand that all new medical colleges be established and run solely under public ownership and democratic control.