ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi on Sunday, on complaint of a medical student facing denial by his institution to appear in examinations, said the aggrieved could invoke a relevant clause of Pakistan Medical Commission that gave universities a prerogative to allow students as many retakes.
Sarbuland Khan had filed a representation with the president assailing the order of federal ombudsperson, which had upheld the decision of Muhammad Medical College in Mirpurkhas on grounds that the case was timebound.
Khan had mentioned that he had failed twice in the second year’s paper of Biochemistry, and under the rules had four chances to pass the examination. However, he could not avail the third and fourth chances as the medical college did not intimate him timely and also had banned his entry into the institution.
He prayed before the president that if he was not given a chance to appear in the examination, then the medical college be directed to refund his paid fee Rs1,500,000 with seven-year interest.
He also requested for rechecking of his paper, wherein he had failed by one mark only.
The ombudsperson, in its order, said no maladministration on part of medical college was evident and the assertion of the complainant for the four-time limit under Pakistan Medical and Dental Council stood repealed after the Pakistan Medical Commissioo Act, 2020, came into force.
The president, in his decision, referred to a notification of PMC Admission Regulations (Amended), 2021, that explained on how the university could allow the students to retake the examinations.
“A university may allow a student as many retakes as may be determined by the university, subject to no student being required to pay the college tuition fee in addition to the fee paid for the given year,” he quoted the notification’s chapter four.
He also mentioned another provision of the same clause titled “Opportunity to retake failed examinations” which stated: “Each university shall frame its own regulations for allowing failed students to retake professional examinations and such regulations shall be publicly notified and made available to the students.”
Alvi said: “there was no fault with the orders passed by the Wafaqi Mohtasib”, however the complainant, if desired, could invoke the said clause.
“If so desired, the complainant may take a chance of invoking the above mentioned R.16 before the competent authority for redressal of his grievance,” he added, disposing of the representation.
