Failed medicos, university play blame game
PATNA: The 2019 batch MBBS students of nine medical colleges in Bihar have put the onus of their poor result on the Aryabhatta Knowledge University (AKU), under which their colleges function. Around 37% students have failed their first university examinations conducted in March this year, the results of which were declared on August 30.
The university has, however, rubbished all allegations, saying that the medicos were “looking for excuses” to get a promotion without having to write the supplementary examinations, scheduled from September 27.
The medicos, who staged a protest earlier on Wednesday on the office campus of the university in Patna, have alleged that the university told them about the changed pattern just a day prior to the commencement of their examination, and shared the syllabus after holding the first professional examination.
As per the old exam pattern, two separate papers of 50 marks each in Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry used to be held.
“However, we were told only a day before the commencement of our exams that the university decided to follow the National Medical Commission (NMC) pattern, under which each paper of 100 marks was to be completed in three hours,” said an aggrieved student of Nalanda Medical College Hospital (NMCH).
In the Physiology paper I exam, the medicos alleged that questions were asked from the syllabus of paper II.
“It was only after we walked out of the examination centre in protest that the university shared the syllabus and asked us to re-appear for the exam, conducted at a later date after completion of other theory papers,” said the NMCH student.
“The university did not provide us either syllabus or sample papers to see the pattern till the actual commencement of exams. Even today, those who have made it to MBBS second year, have not got the syllabus,” the medico alleged.
The students also rued the fact that their session has been delayed by a year.
“Our first professional university exams should have been completed in September last year. However, owing to Covid-19, the university postponed the exams till March, the results of which were released after five months. Now, the supplementary exams are scheduled from September 27, and the earliest we can expect its result is by December. As per the academic calendar, we will be left with almost no time to study for the second year, which is of three semesters of six months each,” they said.
As such, the students demand that they be promoted on basis of their internal assessment, which is based on marks obtained in the first two semester exams.
AKU controller of examinations, Rajeev Ranjan, dismissed all allegations and termed them “baseless” and “frivolous”. “We had intimated principals of all medical colleges about the NMC pattern, which is being followed in all medical colleges of India. Moreover, it is not a classified document, and is available in public domain. We had also shared the syllabus of MBBS curriculum. If at all the students did not get the syllabus, they should have raised the matter in the beginning of the academic year itself and not when they have failed in the exams. The students should concentrate on their studies, and try to clear the supplementary exams, rather than looking for unnecessary excuses,” said Ranjan.
As for promoting students on basis of internal assessment, he said that the NMC does not allow promotion on the basis of internal assessment. “Our statute does not allow for re-evaluation of a single or a handful of answer sheets. If at all re-evaluation has to be done, it will for the entire batch. Already 63% students have passed the exam.”
Of the 150 students, around 69% have failed the examination at Madhubani Medical College, a private college. Its principal, Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, a former president of state Indian Medical Association, said the results were “shocking”.
“We were communicated about the AKU’s decision to have a centralised examination in Patna, for the first time, just three days prior to the exam. There were logistics issues involved such as travel to Patna, following Covid-19 norms. This may have affected the performance of students,” said Dr Prasad.
“The vice-chancellor has to take a call now. Unless he takes a decision, it will not be proper for me to comment,” said Prasad, who is also dean, school of medicine, AKU.