KP govt may postpone entrance test for medical colleges again

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government is likely to again postpone due to bad weather the entrance test for the public and private medical and dental colleges of the province scheduled for September 23.

The government has already cancelled two entrance tests one due to rain and the second when the paper was leaked. The last entrance test was held on August 19 but was cancelled after an inquiry report conducted by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) into the paper leak.

Chief Minister Mahmood Khan had approved cancellation of the entrance test after IB submitted its report. The IB had conducted preliminary investigation and reportedly identified some loopholes in the system.

The IB had recommended the government to form another inquiry committee and investigate the scam in depth to reach the real culprits involved in the paper leak. The KP Home secretary had notified joint investigation team comprising Special Branch of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, IB and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

The two civilian intelligence agencies had held some low-ranking employees of Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) responsible for leaking the paper. It is suspected that papers were stolen from remote centres like Dera Ismail Khan, Haripur and Swat.

The test was simultaneously held at seven different centres, including Islamia Collegiate School ground Peshawar, Haripur University, Grassy Ground Saidu Sharif in Swat, Gomal Medical College in Dera Ismail Khan, Abdul Wali Khan University, Garden Campus Mardan, Cadet College Kohat and Malakand University in Chakdara, Lower Dir.

According to Khyber Medical University, 38,062 candidates, including 14,602 girls, are supposed to appear in the entrance test. The ETEA is required to announce the results of the test within 24 hours, but Chief Minister Mahmood Khan stopped it till the inquiry was conducted.

The ETEA is an autonomous body run by the Board of Governors (BoG) with the governor as its chairman. Some powerful elements want it to be dissolved. They want students with the highest marks to be given admission to the colleges instead of conducting the entrance test.

As per criteria set by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council, students need to get 50 percent marks in the entrance test and 40 percent in their intermediate examination for admission in medical colleges. The integrity and secrecy of entry test paper is exclusively ETEA’s domain, mandate and responsibility.