Medical admission test may remain

The Ministry of Health may retain the current system for admission to medical and dental colleges this year considering the view of the stakeholders.

Syed Modasser Ali, who advises the Prime Minister on health and family welfare affairs, at a roundtable on Friday said he was “not in favour of a change to the current admission system at this moment”.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University’s Vice Chancellor Prof Pran Gopal Datta also suggested continuing with the current admission system which is a 100-mark MCQ test, scores of which are added with the SSC and HSC GPAs combined.

The powerful Bangladesh Medical Association and Bangladesh Private Medical Practitioners Association leaders also stood by the current system.

Earlier, the Directorate General of Health Services sent their proposal to the ministry eliciting views of medical college principals most of whom also recommended retaining the current system.

Questions were raised as the government last year initially scrapped the medical and dental admission tests, but restored them following a court order when student protested.

But Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque during the admission test on Nov 23 last year had said he would stand ‘firm’ against taking medical and dental entry tests from next year. But he had added that any decision would come into effect only after 'extensive' discussions.

The minister at a press briefing on Thursday also said they would hold the talks and the views of the stakeholders would be considered.

However, the ministry’s Secretary M M Neazuddin on Friday said the meeting would be held on Apr 10 and that they would take ‘everyone’s opinion’ into account.

If that is the case, analysts believe the decision will come in favour of admission test this year, an election year when the ruling Awami League will not take any chance with street protests like last year.

Health Advisor Moadasser Ali said: “It will be suicidal for all of us if we change the admission system.”

He asked authorities not to do ‘anything rashly and revolutionary at this moment’.

“We will also suggest they (health ministry) take admission test this year and try to find out even better ways (introduce aptitude test) of enroling students (at medical colleges),” Bangladesh Medical Association’s former President Prof Rashid-e-Mahbub told bdnews24.com.

He said everywhere in the world, except Sri Lanka, ‘there is a test’ before enrolling students in medical colleges.

“Sri Lanka has no private medical colleges. Only seven or eight government medical colleges enrol students on their grade,” he said.

Prof Mahbub said the medical college entry tests had been continuing in this region since 1835 when the Calcutta Medical College was established.

“The modalities of the test have changed over time. But there have always been tests,” he said.

The Ministry of Health last year initially scrapped the admission test saying the current SSC and HSC examinations were ‘standard’ enough to judge students.

However, a principal of Motijheel Ideal School and College Sahan Ara Begum differed on Friday at a Bangladesh Health Reporters’ Forum roundtable.

She said SSC and HSC exams results ‘cannot judge students properly’.

“There are many institutions that do not have laboratories or equipment, but their students are getting full marks in the practicals of the board examinations,” she said explaining why all top GPA holders cannot be considered equal.

She also said different teachers mark differently in the exams, but ‘when you take an admission test, there is a chance of fair judgment’.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services, there are 2,811 seats in the 22 government medical colleges and 4,245 in the 53 private medical colleges.

The nine public dental colleges and the dental units of medical colleges have 567 seats, while the 14 private dental institutes have 870 seats.