ISLAMABAD/QUETTA: As many as 160,000 candidates appeared in the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) held across the country on Sunday amid allegations of mismanagement and malpractices, particularly about alleged paper leaks.

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Sources in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) told Dawn they had anticipated such attempts in light of their experiences during the previous years.

“We have been verifying the complaints received from across the country. Once complaints are analysed, we will issue a detailed report over it and will take appropriate action,” they added.

In Sindh, rumours began circulating in the morning that the paper had leaked, but Dow University of Health Sciences told candidates not to worry about ‘baseless’ reports.

At least 50 held in Quetta for cheating; ‘devices’ recovered from 11 candidates in Islamabad

A faculty member, on the condition of anonymity, criticised the allegations of malpractices, claiming there were several stakeholders who took their share and outsourced the test. After the PMDC outsourced the test to several universities, these educational institutions outsourced it further.

“First of all, it was the PMDC which charged a the fee (Rs8,000) from the candidates and then directed universities to hold the test by deducting its share (around Rs2,000) from each candidate’s fee. On the other hand, some of the universities further outsourced the MDCAT to other universities after deducting their share. Because of the outsourcing of the test, now no stakeholder will accept the responsibility,” he said.

As fingers are pointed at the universities for outsourcing the test, comparisons were also drawn bet­ween the test organised by the PMDC and the one organised by the National University of Medical Sciences (NUMS) for the army-run schools.

A candidate told Dawn they had paid 6,000 for NUMS compared to the PMDC which charged Rs8,000.

“[T]he quality of answer sheets of the NUMS test was much better compared to the one provided by Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Medical Unive­rsity. The quality of refreshment, provided by NUMS, was much better too,” the student said, adding that the attitude of the NUMS invigilators was also positive.

Arrests over cheating

In Islamabad, the district administration teams visited different centres. Despite the imposition of Section 144, there were large numbers of people standing outside almost every centre. In a statement, the administration said electronic devices were recovered from 11 candidates. In Quetta, police registered cases against over 50 candidates for cheating and also arrested two individuals for allegedly facilitating cheating during the exam.

“The arrested candidates include 12 from Balochistan,” the police said, adding that mobile phones and Bluetooth devices were also seized. The students found involved in cheating and the facilitators were shifted to the Airport police station. The majority of the candidates detained for cheating reportedly belonged to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Bolan Medical College University Vice Chancellor Dr Shabbir Lehri and police confirmed the arrests over cheating.

The devices were being used to solve the exam with the assistance of two individuals in Quetta and a retired government employee of the Federal Public Service Commission in Islamabad.

The MDCAT centre for Balochistan candidates was established at the Balochistan University of Infor­­mation Technology, Engin­eering and Management Sciences, Quetta, and over 5,000 candidates appeared.

At least 167,744 students appeared for MDCAT on Sunday. The breakdown of candidates in the provinces was 58,380 students in Punjab, 38,678 in Sindh, 42,329 in KP, 5,806 in Balochistan, 18,408 in Islamabad, 3,145 in AJK, 739 students in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 259 candidates in international centres. The test was held at 30 venues across the country as well as Azad Jammu and Kashmir and two international centres in Dubai and Riyadh.

Published in Dawn, September 23rd, 2024