Dental colleges seek extension in deadline for admissions

MUMBAI: Two weeks after the Supreme Court (SC) rejected a plea by the state’s Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to extend the admission date to

MUMBAI: Two weeks after the Supreme Court (SC) rejected a plea by the state’s Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER) to extend the admission date to October 7 for all government-run and private medical and dental institutes in Maharashtra, private dental colleges, whose seats are left vacant, want Dental Council of India (DCI) and the Centre to again move the court and seek an extension.

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Although Dr Dibyendu Mazumdar, president, DCI, said he hasn’t received any communication from colleges, Dr Pravin Shingare, director, DMER, and Kamal Kishore Kadam, president, Association of Management of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges, have confirmed that some colleges have written to the DCI and the Centre to intervene.

Despite insistence from colleges, Mazumdar said that the DCI has no plans of moving SC. “The state is responsible for admissions, not us. Why would we move court?” he said.

The Apex Court had allowed deemed medical and dental institutes to conduct admissions till October 7.

However, all government and private institutes had to finish the procedure before midnight of September 30, as per the SC’s order in April.

While the state government was able to fill all the seats in its dental colleges and all but six seats in its medical colleges, several seats in private dental colleges are still vacant.

“The students prefer the medical course (MBBS) over the dental one (BDS). Many students who were admitted to dental colleges, switched to medical colleges when they got an opportunity,” said Kadam.