No takers for 354 BDS seats in pvt colleges
Tribune News Service
Faridkot, January 10
Dental colleges in the state are facing an unprecedented crisis with 31 per cent seats lying vacant even after three rounds of counselling for admissions.
Hoping to fill some of the 354 vacant seats in 13 dental colleges, the Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS) will conduct the fourth round of counselling on January 13. Not only self-funded private colleges, but two government colleges have also failed to fill all BDS seats.
Data shows barring two private colleges — Christian Dental College (40 seats) and BJS Dental College (100 seats) in Ludhiana — none could fill up all the seats.
At some private dental colleges, more than half the available seats are lying vacant. Punjab has 1,140 seats in two government and 13 private dental colleges.
Of the 100 seats each, Desh Bhagat Dental College, Gobindgarh, could fill 35, Genesis Dental College in Ferozepur 48, RBDC in Mohali 56, Sukhmani Dental College, Mohali, 57, Dashmesh Dental College, Faridkot, 64, and GNDC, Sunam, 70, Adesh Dental College, Bathinda, 77, LBDC, Patiala, 85 and NDC, Dera Bassi, 88.
Of the total 60 seats in SGRD, Amritsar, 48 have been filled and of the 50 seats in SKS, Ludhiana,
28 have been taken.
In the two government colleges in Patiala andAmritsar, of the total 90 seats, four are lying vacant.
Sources in the medical university said besides high tuition fee in private colleges, the lack of popularity of BDS course could also be due to poor job opportunities in government sector.
While the 15 dental colleges in the state are producing over 1,100 BDS and over 300 MDS doctors every year, it is after the gap of many years that the state Health Department had recruited 35 dental medical officers last month.
Unlike MBBS, students are not willing to pay high fee for BDS course, said sources. “We are making all efforts to fill most of the vacant seats from the registered candidates in the last counselling,” said BFUHS Vice Chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur.
