The MDCAT exam in Sindh is plagued by bad management and allegations of paper leaks.

KARACHI/HYDERABAD/LARKANA: The Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) was given at the same time in five cities across Sindh on Sunday. There were reports of paper leaks and poor management in and around the six test centers that were set up across the province.

For the third year in a row, the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) put on the test.

University officials say that a total of 1,945 MBBS seats have been given to public universities in the state, with 1,691 being open to anyone who qualifies and 254 being self-financing.

In Karachi, more than 12,846 people signed up for the test for 858 places. Of those, 746 were given out based on open merit and 112 were given out for self-financing.

A lot of students and their parents had a terrible time when they got to the two test centers that were set up at NED University of Engineering and Technology and DUHS because there weren’t any signs or helpers to help them.

In the hot weather, there were long lines outside the test centers where no accommodations were made for the candidates. To get into the center, many of them had to wait for two to three hours.

There was a traffic jam outside the exam centers because many people didn’t use the marked parking spaces and the University Road, where work was being done on the Red Line, was in bad shape.

There were 12,659 people in Hyderabad who took the test at the Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences Jamshoro.

A huge number of students and their cars slowed down traffic on the overhead bridge, the Hyderabad-Jamshoro Road, the Indus Highway, and the roads that lead to LUMHS.

Parents were seen yelling outside the venue that there weren’t any plans for their kids.

In Larkana, people lined up in front of the Police Training School exam center and waited for hours for the gates to be opened by the government.

After reporting time was over, a lot of candidates tried to climb the wall to get into the center. Due to the crowds and the heat, a girl student passed out outside the center.

A lot of kids said they got there on time, but the administration wouldn’t let them in.

Poor arrangements condemned

As a result of the candidates’ problems on test day, student groups, medical groups, and political parties criticized the DUHS administration for poor management.

The MQM-P made a statement on Sunday saying that the Pakistan Peoples Party government was “mismanaging” the MDCAT and that its health department was putting the futures of thousands of students at risk.

The MQM-P MPAs said in a statement, “There were eight centers in Lahore, but only two were set up here in Karachi.” It was embarrassing for the kids and their parents.

They said the MQM-P stands with the students who were hurt by the test that was just given. They said that the kids should be able to vent their anger.

Chairman of the Young Doctors’ Association-Sindh (YDA), Dr. Mehboob Noorani, said, “We condemn the poor management at the exam centers in Karachi and Larkana, where many students waiting in line were not allowed to enter the center after the gates closed at 9:30 a.m.”

The spokesperson for the Islami Jamiat Talaba in Karachi, Adil Ibrahim, pointed out problems with the way things were run by saying that the test centers didn’t have basic services, which made things hard for the students.

“Poor road conditions near the test centers caused traffic jams, which made it hard for students to get there on time.” He also said that these problems could have been fixed because candidates were not allowed to enter test centers because of a 10-minute delay and students had to wait in long lines.

“Lack of cooperation from parents and students”

Concerns were raised, and DUHS Pro Vice Chancellor Prof Nazli Hossain said that students and their parents were not cooperating.

There were a lot of them who didn’t follow the directions. People’s cars were parked far from where they were supposed to be, which made things harder for other people. Many of the students showed up less than 45 minutes before the test, which caused chaos, but the administration quickly fixed the problem, she said.

She also said that some kids brought things into the centers that weren’t allowed, which took time.

It was agreed upon by all relevant government offices, and what happened outside of the centers was not the university’s job, she said.

Paper leak controversy

Noorani, the head of the YDA, also said that the MDCAT paper was leaked at midnight and was 70 to 80% the same as the real paper.

He said, “We demand that the health department take notice of the alleged paper leak and set up an inquiry committee.” He also said that he was disappointed that the officials who were named in the investigation of the 2022 paper leak were not punished.

He spoke for the YDA when he said that the group would protest and go to court if the government didn’t do something about the supposed paper leak.

But Hossain, the Pro VC of DUHS, said, “It’s just an attempt to make the university look bad.” This paper is not the same as the one that went popular on social media.

A DUHS spokesperson made it clear that the news about the supposed paper leak was completely false and had no basis in fact.