Amid criticisms about the low quality of education in private med schools, the health ministry has decided that the cut mark for qualifying in this year’s medical and dental admission tests would be 120.
In last year’s medical admission tests, the lowest score with which a candidate got into a public medical college was 163.5. The lowest score with which a candidate got into a public dental college was 164.
On the other hand, many students with scores of merely 110 got admission in some of the private medical colleges.
He said the authorities must think whether a student, who had scored only 120 out of 200 in the admission tests, should be allowed in a medical school or not.
The decision was taken on Monday in a high-level meeting held at the conference room of the ministry with Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque in the chair.
The ministry, however, after having discussed the DU Syndicate request in on Monday’s meeting, unanimously landed on the cut mark of 120.
The public and private medical colleges in the country enroll students on the basis of the results of one common admission test. The dental colleges – both public and private – also have their common tests.
These tests carry 100 marks for the written examination plus 100 marks for the weights of the HSC and SSC results. Out of the latter 100, HSC results carry 60 marks and SSC 40.
A grade point average (GPA) of 5 in HSC equals 60 marks while a GPA 5 in SSC equals 40. A candidate must have an aggregate GPA of 8 from the two exams, which must not include any GPA of less than 3.5.
In 2012, the health ministry fixed 110 as the minimum cut mark for the medical colleges and 105 for the dental colleges.
However, as many seats in the dental colleges remained empty because not enough students could get the requisite score, the authorities decided that everyone who appeared in the admission tests would be allowed in.
Dr Moazzem Hossain, president of Bangladesh Private Medical Association, said: “In the last three years, the decision on the cut mark was made after the results of the written exams had been published. Last year, 51,000 students got 110 marks. This year, the decision is made beforehand. We do not know how many students can secure 120.
“If enough candidate cannot obtain the minimum cut mark this year, then the seats in the colleges, especially the dental colleges, will remain vacant,” he added.
