Privatisation of medical colleges injustice to tribal students

Vijayawada: Former State ST Commission member and founder-national president of Girijana Praja Samakhya (GPS) Vaditya Sankar Naik has strongly opposed the state government’s move to privatise medical colleges, terming it a severe injustice to tribal and economically weaker students.

In a representation submitted to National ST Commission Chairman Antar Singh Arya, Sankar Naik urged the Commission to intervene and direct the Andhra Pradesh government to withdraw its decision.

He said the government’s move to hand over medical colleges to the private sector would deprive thousands of tribal and poor students—who depend on government medical seats—of the opportunity to pursue medical education. “The exorbitant fees charged by private colleges will make medical education inaccessible to tribal students, leading to serious social and economic discrimination,” he said. Calling the policy unconstitutional, Naik stated that it effectively violates the fundamental right to education guaranteed under the Constitution.

He demanded that the government immediately reconsider its decision and take concrete measures to protect the interests of tribal students.

“The state should frame policies to ensure free and exclusive medical education opportunities for students from tribal regions,” he asserted, appealing for national-level attention tothe issue.