National
MD/MS Courses: Students on merit list denied seats
Students on the merit list of the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine have been denied admission to two medical colleges for post-graduate courses citing that they have already filled their quotas.Manish Gautam
Students on the merit list of the Tribhuvan University Institute of Medicine have been denied admission to two medical colleges for post-graduate courses citing that they have already filled their quotas.
The National Medical College, Birgunj and the Universal Medical College, Bhairahawa have turned down the students despite warning from the IoM that those admitted from outside the merit list would not be recognised.
Flouting the government’s decision and the Supreme Court’s interim order that the admissions should be based on merit, the colleges are also found to be pressing students on the merit list to not seek enrolment.
“The Universal College told us that they know nothing about the admission process. And that they have already enrolled students,” said a doctor, who requested anonymity fearing reprisal from the college if he ever got admitted to it. “We have been asked to visit on Sunday morning.”
A group of six students who had approached the National Medical College, Birgunj on Friday were also denied admission. “We talked to Managing Director Basruddin Ansari. He said the college cannot admit us as they have already admitted [other] students,” said a doctor.
Another doctor quoted Ansari as saying, “Let’s do one thing. Let all the students we have admitted study while you guys create pressure so that the seats for MD/MS will increase. This will be a win-win situation for all.”
The IoM on Thursday published the name of students on the merit list after the TU set the fees for the MD/MS courses at Rs3.1 million.
The National and Universal colleges have been notoriously charging exorbitant fees from students wishing to pursue post-graduate degrees. The colleges have been charging as much as Rs10 million and over Rs7 million for courses including radiology and orthopaedics. Both the colleges run MD/MS programmes in radiology, orthopaedics, internal medicine, gynaecology and general surgery, among others.
A list of admitted students obtained by the Post shows that the colleges have been taking in students with scores as low as 50 while those securing over 70 marks have been rejected.
After reports of arbitrary fees, the IoM had written to the colleges warning that the enrolments for post-graduate programme could be illegal. The IoM has repeatedly warned that it will not accept the current enrolment of students by colleges because it breaches the merit system.
However, owners of both the medical colleges are using their political clout to influence the admission process. National College MD Ansari was tipped to be the mayoral candidate from the CPN-UML for the second phase local elections in the Birgunj Metropolitan City. However, the elections in Province 2 have been pushed to a third phase. Ansari was a Maoist candidate from Parsa-2 in the second Constituent Assembly elections held in 2013.
In the case of Universal, Khuma Aryal is a Nepali Congress cadre believed to be close to Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. He is also a close friend and de facto adviser to Education Minister Gopal Man Shrestha.
MD Ansari told the Post that they have admitted the students who passed the entrance test. Regarding the merit list, he said they are already running classes and can enrol students only in the courses which have vacancies.
“We have been enrolling students for the last 16 years in this fashion. This is all
but a ploy to shut down private medical colleges,” said MD Ansari. “Also, we have
not charged high fees.
Have you heard of any complaints lodged by students anywhere?”
A group of students admitted by National have lodged a case in the Supreme Court recently complaining that their right to study was violated. Ansari said they will run the classes until the court delivers its verdict.
IoM Dean Dr Jagdish Agrawal said the medical colleges should admit students based on merit. The Supreme Court argued in its interim order that the admission process should be based on merit.