The Sindh High Court on Wednesday stopped the Pakistan Medical Commission from conducting the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT 2020) that was scheduled for November 15.
The SHC has halted the exam till the formation of an academic board and authority.
Congrats students! 15Nov MDCAT cancelled! Hon High Court stops PMC from holding #MDCAT till formation of Academic Board & Academic Authority. Gives 15 days to form same & thereafter finalize syllabus & then hold MDCAT. Students already registered will be eligible to sit for MDCAT
— M. Jibran Nasir (@MJibranNasir) November 11, 2020
The Sindh High Court on Wednesday stopped the Pakistan Medical Commission from conducting the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT 2020) that was scheduled for November 15.
The SHC has halted the exam till the formation of an academic board and authority.
The MDCAT has been postponed by orders of the Honorable Sindh High Court. The rescheduled MDCAT examination date will be announced after compliance of the directions of the Honorable Court.
— Pakistan Medical Commission (@pmc_org) November 11, 2020
“Honourable High Court gives 15 days to form [academic board and authority] and thereafter finalize syllabus and then hold MDCAT.
Students already registered will be eligible to sit for MDCAT,” said lawyer Jibran Nasir, who fought the case as an advocate for the petitioners.
Later, the Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) confirmed that the exam has postponed.
“The rescheduled MDCAT will announce after compliance of the directions of the Honorable Court,” it added.
The MDCAT has postponed by orders of the Honorable Sindh High Court. The rescheduled MDCAT examination date will announced after compliance of the directions of the Honorable Court.
— Pakistan Medical Commission (@pmc_org) November 11, 2020
PMC, this year, launched the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) to bring “uniformity” into the medical profession.
“The MDCAT held to ensure that the aspiring doctors and dentists coming into the health sector have basic minimum academic achievement at the point of entry,” Dr Faisal Sultan, the premier’s aide on health said.
In October, the high court had restrained the government of Sindh from holding entry tests for medical and dental universities and colleges. The decision came on a set of petitions filed when a conflict emerged between federal and provincial authorities over the admission policy.
The PMC moved the high court seeking permission to allow the MDCAT to conduct on October 18 while pre-medical students approached the bench seeking a restraining order against it.
Moreover, as the date of the exam drew near, protests by a large number of medical students began citing changes announced in the syllabus of the exam. The PMC had earlier promised that the MDCAT exam would not contain any topic aside from the existing syllabus of the students’ respective province.
Justices Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Adnan Iqbal Chaudhry of the Sindh High Court heard the petition today, seeking the deferment of the test, which was a mere four days away.
The order
The SHC, in its order, underlined that since the National Medical & Dental Academic Board had not been formed under the Pakistan Medical Commission Act, 2020, the “MDCAT cannot be conducted”.
According to the court ruling, the Board will have “the powers to formulate the examination structure and standards for the MDCAT for approval of the Council”.
The SHC further criticized a notification. Issued on October 23, 2020, by the PMC regarding the syllabus. In which it said candidates would have the option to mark any questions; they believed were beyond the syllabus in an objection form to be provided at the examination center. Saying it “created uncertainty and gross confusion and perplexity in the minds of all applicants” and terming it “unreasonable and nonstandard”.
“This is quite a unique idea that every applicant will provide objection form at the time of entering into the examination hall. So first he should oblige to do an audit exercise. As to how many questions are out of his syllabus.
“Much time of the candidate would lapse. And consumed to go through the entire question paper as an examiner and then filling the objection forms.
“No further mechanism has provided in the above announcement. As to how and when the students appearing in the MDCAT will come to know. Whether objections raised by them considered. And the question considered by them to outside the identified syllabus has removed from scoring or not.
“Such unreasonable and nonstandard conditions amount to create hardship, distress, and uncertainty. Amongst the candidates and their futures are also at stake. Unless the proper syllabus made out by the competent authority. With due deliberation and examination of the FSC syllabus of the country to make out a common syllabus. Without any doubts so that the candidates should not be asked; to fill objection forms in the examination hall,” the order read.
‘Need compensation’
Earlier in the day, during the hearing, the PMC informed the bench that the entry tests scheduled for November 15. They informed the students via text messages. Roll number and admit cards have also issued,” the body’s legal counsel said.
A lawyer representing the students confirmed and added that students collect their admit cards.
The counsel for the National Testing Service (NTS) said his client incurred losses. Due to the high court’s October 17 decision to postpone the test. “We need compensation.”