Submitting reply, the PM&DC disclosed that the body is facing frivolous litigation of private medical colleges, saying the colleges regularly abuse the process of courts by exercising delaying tactics. Taking notice of high fee being charged from students by private medical colleges, Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had sought comprehensive report from registrar of the PM&DC Islamabad within a week.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar asked the body to submit structure of fee schedule provided by the PM&DC including maximum limit of fee that a private medical college is allowed to charge, role of PM&DC in regulating the admission and existing fee of colleges amid details of steps taken against medical colleges which violated the rules of the body.
On Saturday, filing reply in the matter, the PM&DC submitted that it has centralized efforts for compliance of admission criteria and fee structure as per its Regulations 2016, adding that it received several complaints from students with regard to irregularities and malpractices in admission procedure and fee structure.
The PM&DC said that blackmailing admission-seeking students and their poor parents has been underway; however, unfortunately, private medical colleges undertake such exercises with secrecy and facts are systematically concealed. Disclosing hardship of students' parents, the PM&DC said that private medical colleges are involved in blackmailing while receiving extra amount on the name of donations from poor parents.
However, the Council added that it has issued notices to private medical institutes and the same have been displayed on the website and also been communicated to print media for concentrated transparency and public interest in order to curb such malpractices.
The PM&DC claimed that it ensured to follow uniform policy through university-based admission mechanism under the Regulations, 2016, adding that under a mechanism, admission board, university-based boards as well as institutional admission committees have been formed to ensure merit and transparency and control malpractices in the admission procedures.
Giving details of admission criteria against local and foreign seats, the PM&DC submitted that foreign/overseas students who have qualified and recognized education from outside the country may apply for admission after passing SAT II examination with minimum 550 marks in each of the three subjects including compulsory subjects of biology, chemistry and either physics or mathematics or has a foreign MCAT with minimum aggregate score of 24 as an alternative to provincial or regional university-based admission test.
The Council further submitted that annual charges per student excluding university examination fee, taxes, hostel fee and transport fee, etc, do not exceed Rs 642,000 while one time admission fee/charges and prospectus fee do not exceed Rs 50,000 and Rs 3,000 respectively.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017