Ludhiana, May 16
The minority medical educational institutions in Punjab are once again on a collision course with the state government. The Christian Medical College and Christian Dental College, Ludhiana, and the SGPC-run Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Dental Sciences, Amritsar, have been asked to fill their 50 per cent quota seats through the PMET being conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, for admission to the MBBS, BDS, BAMS and homoeopathic colleges in the state.
The Christian Medical College and Christian Dental College management have been admitting students to the two institutes by conducting their own entrance test every year. Last year, too, the state government had directed them to fill the seats through the PMET conducted by the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences.
But the management went to the Supreme Court and got interim relief and they conducted their own entrance test and admitted students to the two institutes. The CMC admits 50 students in the MBBS and Christian Dental College has 50 seats.
Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences admits 50 students to the MBBS course and 60 students are admitted to Sri Guru Ramdas Institute of Dental Sciences. These two institutes have been admitting 50 per cent students on the basis of the PMET conducted by Baba Farid University under the government quota and the remaining 50 per cent through their own entrance test. But this year, the state government has asked them to fill all seats through the
PMET. Fifty per cent seats are meant for Sikh students only and these two institutes were conducting their own entrance test for the same.
The notification issued by the Department of Medical Education and Research on April 25 says, “The seats of the state quota in government institutes and that of the government quota in private institutes shall be filled out of the candidates as per their merit in the PMET-2005.” The notification further states, “The government has not been approached by the association of all private institutes for the conduct of the entrance test on their own for filling of the seats in management/minority quota. No institution except the Christian Medical College and Dental College, Ludhiana, has been established for more than 25 years and are conducting their own entrance test subject to the permission by the admission supervision committee.”
The Baba Farid University of Health Sciences shall organise the PMET for 2005 on June 5.
Dr Mohan
Verghese, Principal, Christian Medical College, Ludhiana, said here today, “We have not accepted the plea of the state government and will conduct our own entrance test on May 22 for admission to the MBBS and BDS courses. We will admit all students on the basis of our own test as we have been doing in the past.”
Dr Verghese further said that they would be meeting the Justice
G.R. Majithia Committee against the decision of the state government. Moreover, he said, their plea is pending with the Supreme Court and final arguments have already been held. “We are waiting for the judgement,” he added.
The CMC management had gone to the Supreme Court last year against the decision of the Majithia Committee and got interim relief and the case was later referred to the larger bench.
Dr Ujjagar Singh Dhaliwal, Principal, Sri Guru Ramdas Institute of Medical Sciences, Amritsar, said they were approaching the state government and the Majithia Committee to seek permission for the holding of entrance test for 50 per cent seats of Sikh students under the minority status. A delegation of the SGPC has already met Capt Amarinder Singh and sought his intervention in the matter.
Last year, the two institutes had conducted their own entrance for the admission of Sikh students under the minority status.
Meanwhile, the Union Government issued a notification on January 18, declaring Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis as minority communities. This notification has been issued in the wake of the establishment of the National Commission for Minority Educational Institutions Act 2004.
Prof Prithipal Singh Kapoor, former Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Guru Nanak Dev University and a member of the standing monitoring committee for educational institutions run by the minorities in India, says,’ The notification will help the Sikh institutions run by the SGPC and Christian institutions like the CMC, Ludhiana, in retaining their status as national minorities.
Dr Dhaliwal regretted that the Justice Majithia Committee had not fixed the tuition fee for the MBBS and BDS courses so far. Only provisional fee was fixed last year and this year again at the rate of Rs 75,000 for MBBS per annum and Rs 50,000 for the BDS course. How could they run the institutes with such meagres fee? he asked. The management of Sri Guru Ramdas Institutes has sought Rs 2 lakh for the MBBS and Rs 1 lakh for the BDS course, respectively.
The Punjab and Haryana High Court last year had asked the state government to finalise the fee structure by October 11, 2004, but the same had not been done so far, he said. The fee for the NRI students has been fixed at $ 75,000 for the MBBS course. Fifteen per cent seats are reserved for the NRI quota.
The DMC management charges Rs 70,000 per annum as fee for the MBBS course and Dr Verghese claimed, “We have the lowest fee and we do not admit any NRI students nor charge capitation fee.”
The Justice Majithia Committee is likely to submit its report on fee structure very shortly. The committee has heard the parents of the students, managements and the government representatives.
The DMCH Ludhiana admits 75 students on the basis of the
PMET. Out of this, 15 per cent seats are for the NRI students.
