Malpractices in MDCAT; PHC to decide on Oct 3

Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) ordered Education and Testing Evaluation Agency (ETEA) along with Khyber Medical University (KMU) to submit reply regarding Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) while adjourned further hearing till 3rd October, on Thursday.
PHC’s divisional bench comprised of Justice Abdul Shakoor and Syed Arshad Ali heard petitions regarding malpractices during MDCAT as well as fate of the test while observed that the court will decide the subject on next hearing. Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amir Javed and counsel for petitioners named Zia-ur-Rehman Tajik along with Yasir Khattak advocates appeared before the court.
Advocate General Khyber informed that provincial cabinet has decided rearranging of MDCAT test within six weeks. He added that Joint Investigation Teams (JITs) are also established in Karachi and Lahore in identical cases.
Advocate General Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Amir Javed argued that 200 candidates were caught by concerned authorities on malpractices because competent sectors were aware regarding the usage of unfair means during MDCAT exam centers. Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) looks after registration and result procedures while ETEA is only organizing the test, Advocate general argued. In the meantime, Justice Abdul Shakoor observed that it is strange PDMC is issuing result despite ETEA took the test.
The counsel for petitioner informed that the son of JIT member obtained 136 marks and failed the test. He added that provincial government has no jurisdiction to cancel the test and argued that PDMC can conduct or reconduct the test. The counsel further argued it is the jurisdiction of provincial government under the ACT while as per Regulation laid under the domain of universities. He added that Sindh’s government had cancelled the test but Sindh High Court has stopped reconducting of the exam.
As many as test of 219 candidates had cancelled and First Information Reports were also registered against them while added that reconducting of the MDCAT will impact intelligent students, the counsel argued. He argued that the rules had clarified that paper will be cancel neither the whole exam/test.
The counsel for petitioner argued that to inquiry for identification of culprits involved in the scandal and demanded cancellation of candidates involved in malpractices. PHC’s divisional bench comprised of Justice Abdul Shakoor and Justice Syed Arshad Ali ordered ETEA and PMDC to submit while adjourned further hearing till 3rd October.