UHS medical entry test is prejudiced, says students

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Lahore – Parents of students have expressed their reservations against the newly proposed uniform syllabus of medical entry test for both Fsc and A-levels students by the University of Health Sciences (UHS), Pakistan Today has learnt.
The medical entry test conducted by the UHS has been marred in controversies for a past few years, as A-level students claimed they were at a losing end in a test which they claimed favoured Fsc students. Several protests have been held in previous years in front of the UHS by A-level students demanding the administration to put them at par with the Fsc students.
However, the UHS administration has recently announced a uniform entrance test for both FSc and A-level students going to be held in 2011. According to the new test,
Physics and Chemistry will carry 44 questions each, Biology 88, while English 22 questions. Moreover, the UHS has also introduced an aptitude test this year carrying 22 marks, making a total of 220 questions.
Parents of Fsc students have however alleged that the uniform syllabus is tilted towards A-levels students, as the books mentioned for preparation are mostly A-level books and very few from the Fsc’s syllabus. In Physics and Chemistry, only two books each have been selected from the Punjab Textbook Board (PTB), while four books each have been selected from A levels. In the English portion, all five books are from A-level’s syllabus and only one PTB book. Moreover they said A-level books are costly and beyond the reach of poor students living in the far flung districts of Punjab.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Hamid Yusuf, a parent of an Fsc student said, “The newly designed uniform test clearly puts Fsc students at a disadvantage. Addressing grievances of one section does not mean putting the other down. The government should first revolutionize the entire education system and then introduce such a test.
Fsc students come from the most far flung districts of Punjab and not from urban centres, as is the case of A level students. Fsc students have to go through a majority of A-level books introduced in the syllabus.” Moreover, he said the entire set of books will cost Rs 70,000, which will be unaffordable for a majority of students coming from poor backgrounds. Parents have also held consultative meetings with doctors associations, including the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA).
Talking to Pakistan Today, PMA Joint Secretary Dr Shahid Malik said a lot of parents have consulted them and are even willing to go for litigation if the government does not change the test pattern. He said both Fsc and A-level are two separate systems of education, with the former being a quantitative assessment and the latter a qualitative one. He said the UHS has no authority to amalgam the two streams without consulting the stakeholders. He said the recommended definition of an aptitude test is “evidence based judgment on personality after a period of observation”. However, 22 questions set in the aptitude test by the UHS carrying 5 marks each will give only 10 minutes to students. “110 marks in 10 minutes will decide whether a student is eligible to become a doctor or not; it is most inappropriate and unjustified.
Fsc students come through 34 exams and 17 examiners, but the 10 minutes will decide their fate,” Malik said, adding that the government should revise the policy and should hold a separate exam for A level students, as even the UHS administration recognizes that both the systems are two different streams.
However, a UHS spokesperson denied all these allegations saying that learning outcome of all subjects have been given and Fsc students can attempt the entry test without reading any A-level book. “We have consulted teachers from both systems of education and from institutions of repute such as GCU, LCWU and Aitchison College, from across Punjab and have heavily paid those teachers for the task of devising this new entry test,” he added. To a question, he said the same experts will set a “question bank” from which the administration will set the paper.

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45 COMMENTS

  1. politics in d everywhere even in d UU.HH.SS…………….HUM KAHA JAA K MARAIN……… victorious hu k jeenay b naeee dayyy rahay…………..

  4. heyyyy….i heard about a case filed against non.fsc sylbs…do prayr yaroo….hearing will b held on 14 june at lahore high court

  7. yeah yeah i agree…but you know very well my dear that there is no check n balance…no laws n orders….

  8. all glittering futures of the entire pakistan should never be given to the bloody principal n managment of uhs.the medical-field in pak. either should be eradicated or increase medical-colleges.

  9. what to do guysss…..its really horrible….completely addled…unable to think clearly…no one can even imagine the feelings of a repeator…suicide stimulation ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

  10. seriously guys, i've read through the model paper and it, by no means, favour the A – Level students. I can say this because i happen to be one.
    You FSc. people will be fine… Its us, who have to worry about the entrance tests, not you guys.

  11. in pakistan the edu system is totaly discusting so that is
    why we face these bloody situations …………………..
    ……………………….help me GOD

  12. the future of pakistan iz based upon us dut i dnt think that the way in which the edu system iz going we can do something for the prosperity of our country. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…………………………………… we r living in the time n age of disappointment may god help us

  16. UHS walun ki mintain krna fazool ha… in pe asar nh hna…. ALLAH PE YAKEEN-E-KAMIL… rkho… wo sub sy BARI HASTI ha…. wo humari mehnatka rewrd dy ga hume!

  19. a level students should have a separate entry test …this is the only solution which i think …when both sectors will have separate entry test the matter will be solved ………

  20. latest news k mutaqib apptitude ka half hour ka test ho ga lakin us k marks nae hn ga mja lagta h k us ki tayari b kr laini chahiya kyun k inka koe pta nae ya marks include kr dain ma to in k setup sa bht fedup ho chuki hn. GOD PLZ HELP US……………………

  21. yaro just pray for yourself as well as 4 each other. thats the pakistan so don’t hope of any appropirate system adjust yourself and concenterate on your studies god bless all of u

  23. In entry test, my answers did not copy on given specimen sheet 2 compare answers in answer key uploaded by uhs , who can help me to find y could it happen???

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