Students in a fix over PG med seats
By:Bharat A Patel
Postgraduate medicaladmissions are in a complete mess this year. The association of private colleges , COMED-K , has announced its PG counselling dates as April 21, 22 and 23, including for dental and medical seats. But the state government has not announced its counselling dates, leaving the students without any way of knowing whether they will get government seats or not.
A student told Bangalore Mirror: “As we are not sure how many seats are available in government colleges, we cannot take the risk of missing the COMED-K counselling. However, we need to deposit Rs 50,000 initially and surrender the original documents. If the government doesn’t hold its counselling before the last date of seat surrendering, then we are at a loss. We have been repeatedly asking the government officials for a date, but nothing concrete has come so far.”
Pvt colleges refuse to change schedule
Private colleges have refused to change their schedule, saying that they had announced the dates well in advance and had informed the medical education department too. “If they fail to come out with their date, how can we be held responsible? We cannot keep our counselling dates in abeyance for lack of clarity on the government’s side,” a COMED-K official said.
Minister says govt is helpless
Government sources said medical education minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil was busy with elections till now. With the medical education secretary Rashmi V Mahesh going on leave (IAS officer N Sivasailam is holding additional charge of the department now) there has been confusion in drawing up the dates.
Patil expressed helplessness. He told Bangalore Mirror: “As the state had introduced 10-year domicile condition for the PGCET takers this year, a few students had approachedSupreme Court . As the apex court is yet to give its verdict, we cannot conduct the counselling process.”
Under the new rule, only students who have studied in the state for at least 10 years or are the children of a parent who had studied in the state for 10 years, were eligible. When he was asked whether he would ask the COMED-K to postpone its counselling process, Patil said, “We had discussions with the private college managements. However, as we cannot predict as to when the SC judgment will come, we are helpless.”
Postgraduate medical
A student told Bangalore Mirror: “As we are not sure how many seats are available in government colleges, we cannot take the risk of missing the COMED-K counselling. However, we need to deposit Rs 50,000 initially and surrender the original documents. If the government doesn’t hold its counselling before the last date of seat surrendering, then we are at a loss. We have been repeatedly asking the government officials for a date, but nothing concrete has come so far.”
Pvt colleges refuse to change schedule
Private colleges have refused to change their schedule, saying that they had announced the dates well in advance and had informed the medical education department too. “If they fail to come out with their date, how can we be held responsible? We cannot keep our counselling dates in abeyance for lack of clarity on the government’s side,” a COMED-K official said.
Minister says govt is helpless
Government sources said medical education minister Dr Sharanprakash Patil was busy with elections till now. With the medical education secretary Rashmi V Mahesh going on leave (IAS officer N Sivasailam is holding additional charge of the department now) there has been confusion in drawing up the dates.
Patil expressed helplessness. He told Bangalore Mirror: “As the state had introduced 10-year domicile condition for the PGCET takers this year, a few students had approached
Under the new rule, only students who have studied in the state for at least 10 years or are the children of a parent who had studied in the state for 10 years, were eligible. When he was asked whether he would ask the COMED-K to postpone its counselling process, Patil said, “We had discussions with the private college managements. However, as we cannot predict as to when the SC judgment will come, we are helpless.”
