KEMU students protest

LAHORE

The students of King Edward Medical University held a protest demonstration on Wednesday against what they called injustice in the examination system. 

The students’ protest got the impetus when a 4th year student of MBBS staged a suicide drama by climbing a water tank for failing/detention in the examination a day before yesterday. Scores of male and female students held a protest demonstration in Patiala Block after holding a rally from Mayo Hospital to KEMU, holding a banner and chanting slogans against injustice meted out to certain students in the award of marks.

They were of the view the question paper was high on difficulty index coupled with some tight marking in third professional MBBS examination, which led to failing of 40 students and detention of 25 students in certain subjects. Besides, they said that the students were deprived of grace marks, where it was due.

They demanded of the KEMU administration to revamp the examination system and provide justice to the students, who failed or detained in certain subjects allegedly due to the faults in the examination system. They also demanded of KEMU administration to enhance the ratio of objective type questions as was being practiced in other medical universities. They threatened to hold protest demonstration and sit-in on The Mall on Thursday (today) if university administration didn’t remove their objections.

Meanwhile, KEMU administration has formed a four-member committee, which is authorised to analyze the matter in consultation with the experts of examinations. The KEMU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Asad Aslam Khan, who is also a member of the committee, said that the committee had finalised the opinion of experts on the papers and the final decision on the basis of these recommendations will be announced on Thursday (today).

The officials believed that serious attempts were being made by the elements associated with the Young Doctors Association in Mayo Hospital to destroy peace of KEMU and Mayo Hospital by instigating the students against the university administration, backing elements (such as a student attempting a suicide), and frequent clashes of rival groups in Mayo Hospital and coercing of nurses to hold demonstrations, which is aimed at undermining the authority of the hospital and varsity administration.