Davao City – Indian doctors who were involved in the recent controversy involving Indian medical student dormers clarified Wednesday that they are only imposing strict dorm policies to “discipline” the students.
Around 200 Indian medical students trooped to the city mayor’s office last January 8 to complain on the alleged maltreatment of their dorm manager, Dr. Ashin Mohan.
The students complained of the high amount of penalties collected by the dormitory.
Mohan, in news reports, said that “this is all about discipline and safeguarding the students.”
In a press conference Wednesday, Dr. David K. Pillai, head of the principal associate of the Davao Medical School Foundation (DMSF) justified the amount the Indian medical students pay in their dormitories and that the allegations of “extortions of money” are not true.
Pillai, who is CEO of Transworld Education Academy, the main associate of DMSF who brought the majority of Indian students to study in Davao, said that the claims that the price their dormitory asked is only equivalent to what the students are getting.
“They say that they pay certain amounts for lesser facilities. The truth is we have 2 packages – 7,000 (pesos) and 10, 000 (pesos) per month for all facilities which includes the air-conditioned dorm, hot water, transportation, WiFi facilities, CCTV cameras, in-charge, security all put together, we do everything. Besides, the major facility that we provide is three times buffet food, breakfast, lunch and dinner. This is not done in a business basis. It is done as an extended facility for the students if they have to study in DMSF,” said Pillai.
He said DMSF even has a transport system for students so that they are spared from engaging public transportation.
“After we started implementing these rules, believe me for the last three months, there were very less problems in the dormitories. It was not collected from anyone because we believe that it automatically becomes the burden to the parent rather than to the students,” he said.
Pillai cited a previous case in 2009 where they had “four Indian Students [who] went into a beach in a particular place and only three returned back. One of them, we do not know what happened.”
Pillai said that the said incident prompted them to impose “strict discipline.”
But a female Indian student who refused to be named, said that Pillai only wants to “make himself safe” and that the policies are “not fair.”
“Dr. David (Pillai) met with us before and told us that if we want to study here in DMSF just move into dorm or else he will book tickets for us to go home,” the student said saying there were 28 of them who were instructed by Pillai.
Pillai also said there are Indian nationals who have been “provoking” the students to go against the management. However, Pillai refused to disclose the names and all other information so as not to affect the on-going investigation.
He is set to meet the students and the school’s authorities for a closed-door meeting and investigation to listen to the students’ clamors and clarify things.
“We also wanted to hear the real thing because if they have said they have paid 25,000 per month, they have to justify when they paid and to whom they paid,” said Pillai. (with reports from Roberto Gumba, Jr, Davao Today Intern)
