Bengaluru: Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has opposed the state govt’s proposal to utilise the university admission fees paid by govt medical colleges for the maintenance of those institutions, citing financial constraints.The govt, on April 24, 2026, proposed that undergraduate and postgraduate admission fees paid to the university can be used by the same institutions for their maintenance.However, the university rejected the proposal. At a recent syndicate meeting, the university resolved to inform the govt it is facing shortage of funds as substantial resources are being spent on the development of RGUHS campus at Ramanagara, establishment of medical colleges at Ramanagara, Kanakapura and Bagalkot, and setting up six skill labs across the state.The academic council earlier noted that the fees collected from govt medical colleges are essential for meeting the university’s operational expenditure. It recommended that the university fees paid by govt medical colleges should not be transferred for the maintenance of those colleges.There are around 25 govt medical colleges in the state. “We are giving the govt money for construction of medical colleges in Bagalkot and Kanakapura, apart from our own projects. We’ve requested the govt that it cannot be considered because we need money for completion of these projects. It may not be a big amount, but every penny is important for us,” RGUHS vice-chancellor, Dr Bhagavan B C, said.RGUHS not to give keywords for descriptive questionsBengaluru: Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) has decided against providing answer keys or keywords for descriptive questions in its examinations.Pointing to hundreds of petitions, Karnataka high court had in 2024 asked the university to reconsider its practice of not providing answer keys for evaluation.RGUHS sought National Medical Commission’s opinion in Nov 2024. The apex medical regulator supported the university’s position, stating model answers for descriptive questions should not be published.Further, at an academic council meeting, it opined that providing keywords will limit the scope of critical thinking and will not encourage logical responses. In July 2025, the university formed an expert committee comprising faculty from Karnataka as well as health sciences universities in Maharashtra and Kerala. It concluded that keywords and predetermined answers fail to adequately assess the integrated analytical abilities expected of medical graduates.The committee observed that medical education requires evaluation of critical thinking, clinical decision-making and communication skills. It pointed out that Kerala University of Health Sciences issues only valuation guidelines for examiners, while the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences does not provide keywords.However, the university decided to conduct a limited pilot by preparing model answer keys for first-year Bachelor of Physiotherapy students admitted in 2026-27. A committee of physiotherapy experts will prepare question papers with keywords, gather feedback from stakeholders after the results are announced, and submit a report to the university.The academic council reiterated that the current valuation system is fair and produces satisfactory results, while recommending periodic training and orientation for evaluators and workshops for question paper setters to improve assessment standards. The syndicate accepted the council’s recommendation and decided not to share answer keys, but to roll out the pilot.
