Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The government will consider holding of admission test for medical colleges if the lawsuit in this regard is withdrawn, otherwise court’s decision will be final, Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque said on Sunday.
“If the writ petition challenging the government’s decision is not withdrawn, we’ll carryout the order of the High Court,” he told reporters after hour-long meeting with the representatives of agitating students at the health ministry’s conference room this morning.
He added: “We will consider holding of admission test for the 2012- 13 year, if the lawsuit is withdrawn.”
Simultaneously the health ministry, Ruhal said, is taking preparation to issue a circular for medical admission forms so that no time is wasted regarding this.
Earlier the health minister held meeting with five representatives of agitators demanding the restoration of traditional admission system and three others supporting the government’s proposal for the new enrollment system at 10.15 am.
After the meeting with health minister, the protestors (admission seekers) said that no fruitful discussion was held there at all.
“We’ve no option but to continue our agitations. But prior to taking the next course of action, we, the aspirants, will sit together,” a protestor said after the meeting.
On August 12 last, the health minister declared that there would be no test for admission into public and private medical colleges this year, sparking protests by the admission seekers at different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Chittagong.
He had announced that only GPA-8 (Grade Point Average) jointly in the SSC (Secondary School Certificate) and HSC (Higher Secondary School Certificate examinations would be the sole yardstick for the admission, while the minimum grade of GPA-7 for foreign students.
The admission-seekers, who got admission into different medical admission coaching centers, staged demonstrations in recent times while another group of aspirants also took to streets favouring the minister’s decision.
The demonstration over the admission test has become the talk of the town as it lastly gone to the High Court.
On Aug 12, Supreme Court lawyer Advocate Yunus Ali Akand, also a guardian of a medical admission seeker, filed a petition with the High Court challenging the decision and seeking its direction upon the government to immediately start the admission process at medical and dental colleges through holding test.
BBN/SSR/AD-3:40 pm (BST)
