A sudden move by the Punjab government to make Class-10 mandatory in the eligibility criteria for its 85% statequota MBBS seats has come as a big blow to the reappear candidates as well.
Many medical aspirants from Punjab and Chandigarh who did not get into their preferred medical college last year were trying their luck again this year, after dropping one full year. Most of them did not do matriculation from Punjab.
SAS Nagar’s Ishpreet Singh, who did his Class 10 from Chandigarh and Class 12 from SAS Nagar, said had missed an MBBS seat last year by a whisker. “After great motivation by family, I had started preparing for the MBBS admission again but now I have lost all hope of becoming a doctor.”
His mother, Kamaljot Kaur, described the Punjab decision as “gross injustice”. “In spite of being a resident of Punjab, my son is being denied a chance to compete for the state seats. The chief minister needs to intervene,” she said.
“I don’t know where to go,” rued Aditya of Chandigarh, another dropout from last year, who did his Class 12 from SAS Nagar. “My motivation to try again for MBBS is gone and so is all my effort of the past one year,” he said. Another dropout student from Sangrur, Sahildeep Singh, who is now ineligible, said the notification was not at all in favour of the bona-fide residents of the state.
{{/usCountry}}“I don’t know where to go,” rued Aditya of Chandigarh, another dropout from last year, who did his Class 12 from SAS Nagar. “My motivation to try again for MBBS is gone and so is all my effort of the past one year,” he said. Another dropout student from Sangrur, Sahildeep Singh, who is now ineligible, said the notification was not at all in favour of the bona-fide residents of the state.
{{/usCountry}}“I prepared well this year and was confident of making it to a medical college in Punjab but this new rule has shaken my confidence. I don’t know how I will perform in the coming AllIndia Pre-Medical Test,” said Sahildeep Singh. Dr SS Sodhi of Guardian of Medical Aspirant, a forum of parents of the affected students, said Punjab should undo its decision, since not only Chandigarh’s but also Punjab’s students were affected.
IMA FLAYS MOVE
The SAS Nagar chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday opposed the Punjab government’s changing the eligibility criteria for statequota seats weeks before the AllIndia PMT. Chapter president Dr JS Kochar said the notification appeared to have been taken in haste. “If it must be implemented, it should be from the session 2017-18,” he said.