UHS entrance test criteria 60pc marks

Court sets aside UHS entrance test criteria
Lahore, Sep 07: A division bench of the Lahore High Court on Monday declared illegal the eligibility criteria of 65 per cent or equivalent marks in FSc set by the Punjab government for appearance for the medical entrance test, reducing the criteria down to 60 per cent in line with PMDC's policy.

The bench comprising Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed and Justice Chaudhry Shahid Saeed observed this while disposing of several identical writ petitions challenging the process of the entrance test for the MBBS.

Advocates Muhammad Azhar Siddique, Mian Abdul Qaddus, Nasir Mehmood Qureshi, and Mian Qamar uz Zaman presented different petitioners.

In its short order, the court ruled that the Pakistan Medical & Dental Council (PMDC) was the regulatory body and all the medical universities and colleges should follow its guidelines.

The court also directed the Punjab government and the University of Health Sciences (UHS) to arrange special entrance test for the students who had secured 60 per cent or above marks in F.SC exams but had not appeared in the entry test because the test was held prior to announcement of FSc result.

All students who had appeared in the test held in July are eligible to apply for MBBS admission to all universities in line with regulations set by the PMDC. The court also declared illegal 60 per cent minimum passing marks set by UHS and ruled that there would be no passing percentage for the test.

The PMDC had told the bench that the council had issued unified rules and regulations for the test throughout Pakistan. The Punjab government and the University of Health Sciences were duty-bound to abide by the rules. As per PMDC criteria, a student passing F.Sc (Pre medical) exam with at least 60 per cent marks was eligible to appear in entrance test, but the Punjab government had overlooked the rules and held the entrance test before the announcement of the FSc. He pleaded that result of the entrance test should be stopped because it would not provide equal opportunities to all students through out Pakistan. He said that, under the rules set by the Punjab government, students with 60 or 65 per cent marks would not be able to sit in the test. The counsels pleaded that the entry tests were being held prior to the announcement of the F.Sc. result, resulting in the prohibition of the petitioners to participate in the entry test.

He said that the holding the test in such a manner was a violation of fundamental rights as envisaged in the constitution and also in clear cut violation of the mandatory instructions issued by the PMDC. The counsel said that the eligible criteria for the entrance test in all the other provinces was 60 per cent marks in F.Sc. and one needed at leat 50 per cent marks in the test to pass it.

The UHS and the chairman admission board for medical/dental institutions of Punjab, without any approval from the PMDC, had declared 65 per cent marks as the eligibility criteria in 2009. He pointed out that, in the same year, the respondents -going a step further and negating the regulations of the PMDC - had increased the passing marks from 40 to 60 per cent. Advocate Azhar Siddique requested the court to declare the criteria for the test given by the respondents without any lawful authority, in conflict of article 9,25, 37 and 38 of the constitution and violative of the instructions of the PMDC. The news

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Four-year B.Ed being launched
Lahore: Punjab School Education Department Secretary Aslam Kamboh has said the department in collaboration with the USAID and Pre-STEP is launching a four-year B.Ed -- a professional teachers training programme -- as a pilot project in D.G Khan, Faisalabad and Punjab University.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Mr Kamboh said the Pre-STEP would bear the study expenses of those, who would get admission to the four-year B.Ed programme.

In the years to come, he said, this programme would also be launched in other universities. He said the one-year programme was not fulfilling the professional requirements of teachers.

Answering a question, Mr Kamboh said the University of Education did not have the capacity to launch the four-year B.Ed programme and would be included in the next phase.

Pre-STEP project director Yasir Peerzada said the four-year programme would have an exit option after three years with associate B.Ed degree. "No person will be recruited as a teacher, who will not have four-year B.Ed degree after 2018," he said. Dawn

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Literacy Day
Lahore: International Literacy Day 2010, with a theme ìThe Power of Women's Literacyî, will be observed in Pakistan, like in the rest of the world, on Wednesday (tomorrow). The day is on September 8 every year, to acknowledge the efforts made in connection with promotion of literacy and to highlight significance of literacy among the people. The promotion of literacy is one of the major challenges Pakistan is faced with. The lack of political will, absence of consistency in policies, population explosion and lack of community and civil society participation are major challenges and issues related to efforts to enhance literacy level in the country.

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KEMU, German school sign pact
Lahore: The King Edward Medical University and the Hanover Medical School, Germany, signed an agreement for promotion of medical education, training, research and exchange of staff and students at the undergraduate and postgraduate level.

KEMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Zafarullah Khan and HMSG President Prof Bitter Suerman signed the agreement, said a press release here on Monday.

According to the agreement, the activities will include cooperation in teaching and research, exchange of faculty staff, research fellows, students and publication.

Prof Riaz Ahmad Warraich, head of Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, KEMU, said that the MoU would uplift the standard of medical education and training in the Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery in both institutions. He said that Prof Andrew Michael Accred and Dr Rana Majeed from Germany would deliver lectures and impart surgical training for 15 days every year in the department. The news

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LUMS flood relief rally
Lahore: The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) on Monday organised its second flood relief rally and raised Rs508,000 for the LUMS Flood Relief Fund (LFRF) and created awareness among the masses on the tragic disaster that had shook the nation.

Some 200 LUMS community members assembled outside the LUMS cafeteria and walked up to the first signal after Lalik Chowk. There they divided into groups led by either a member of the students' council or the LUMS flood relief committee and raised funds in their assigned areas.

The rally was taken out aiming to collect more funds for the relief and rehabilitation process of the flood-stricken.

LUMS has been collecting funds internally, but this was the second rally taken out involving community at large. The rally was appreciated by DHA residents, who were most cooperative.

The LFRF is targeting LUMS' faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends for fundraising. Institutionally, LUMS is also contributing to this cause by cutting down on planned activities and diverting funds to the LFRF.

In the last three weeks, the LFRF has received more than Rs3.5 million in cash donations. Dawn

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