MUMBAI: In an unprecedented move in the state, the National Medical Commission (NMC) has cancelled admissions to 141 seats in private colleges conducted at the institute level.
The round for stray vacancies in private colleges was conducted in “clear violation” of a directive issued by the commission in July disallowing institute-level MBBS admissions. The admissions thus granted will be considered invalid, said the commission. The decision has put a question mark on the future of the 141 students who took admission in the round. Many of them have already started attending classes.
In an order issued by the commission on Thursday, it condemned the state government move to allow admissions at institute level and said that the notice issued by the state CET cell on September 26 for filling vacant seats was issued in clear violation of the NMC directive. Till last year, admissions in the last round were conducted at the institute level. This year, in order to make the process transparent, the NMC had asked authorities to fill 100% seats in all private colleges centrally in the online mode in respective states.
The NMC had requested all state counselling authorities to make necessary arrangements for conducting the counselling through online mode for all rounds, including the stray vacancy round, in private medical colleges. Despite the order, the state medical education department decided to conduct the admissions at institute level. Students were asked to apply online to individual colleges to an official mail address. Several students had complained against the move, many were even allegedly harassed by college administrations despite making it to the requisite level of merit.
If no solution is arrived at, the seats are likely to go vacant as the deadline to fill MBBS seats ended on September 30.
While the state CET cell is awaiting directives from the state medical education department on the NMC order, an official from the department said that they would write to the commission requesting them to reconsider the decision. He said that the matter is also sub judice. A petition is pending in the Bombay high court in the matter, said the official.
Despite a clear notification from the NMC, the state government did not pay heed to the directive, said Brijesh Sutaria, a parent representative. “Though I pity the students who have been made scapegoats in this blunder, the entire administration is at fault for this faux pas. Future of students who took admissions on the basis of merit in this round will be at stake,” Sutaria said.
Sudha Shenoy, another parent representative, said that the CET cell and the medical education department were at fault.
“They could have converted the institutional quota seats to general category and admitted deserving merit students. But they favoured private colleges,” she said, adding that the NMC directive has also come in very late, and if the order is challenged in court, students are likely to get support.
The round for stray vacancies in private colleges was conducted in “clear violation” of a directive issued by the commission in July disallowing institute-level MBBS admissions. The admissions thus granted will be considered invalid, said the commission. The decision has put a question mark on the future of the 141 students who took admission in the round. Many of them have already started attending classes.
In an order issued by the commission on Thursday, it condemned the state government move to allow admissions at institute level and said that the notice issued by the state CET cell on September 26 for filling vacant seats was issued in clear violation of the NMC directive. Till last year, admissions in the last round were conducted at the institute level. This year, in order to make the process transparent, the NMC had asked authorities to fill 100% seats in all private colleges centrally in the online mode in respective states.
The NMC had requested all state counselling authorities to make necessary arrangements for conducting the counselling through online mode for all rounds, including the stray vacancy round, in private medical colleges. Despite the order, the state medical education department decided to conduct the admissions at institute level. Students were asked to apply online to individual colleges to an official mail address. Several students had complained against the move, many were even allegedly harassed by college administrations despite making it to the requisite level of merit.
If no solution is arrived at, the seats are likely to go vacant as the deadline to fill MBBS seats ended on September 30.
While the state CET cell is awaiting directives from the state medical education department on the NMC order, an official from the department said that they would write to the commission requesting them to reconsider the decision. He said that the matter is also sub judice. A petition is pending in the Bombay high court in the matter, said the official.
Despite a clear notification from the NMC, the state government did not pay heed to the directive, said Brijesh Sutaria, a parent representative. “Though I pity the students who have been made scapegoats in this blunder, the entire administration is at fault for this faux pas. Future of students who took admissions on the basis of merit in this round will be at stake,” Sutaria said.
Sudha Shenoy, another parent representative, said that the CET cell and the medical education department were at fault.
“They could have converted the institutional quota seats to general category and admitted deserving merit students. But they favoured private colleges,” she said, adding that the NMC directive has also come in very late, and if the order is challenged in court, students are likely to get support.
