In compliance with the October 9 verdict of the Peshawar High Court (PHC), the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa interim government on Saturday announced the re-conduct of the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) on November 26.
The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan.
MDCAT, held on September 10, was canceled after dozens of students were arrested for cheating and using electronic devices during the paper from various exam centers across the country.
Following claims of irregularities and paper leaks, more than 80 candidates moved the High Court seeking cancellation of the paper.
Preparations for the conduct of MDCAT and other issues were discussed in the meeting. It was told in the meeting that 46,220 registered candidates will participate in the examination.
For the convenience of students, examination centers will be set up in Peshawar, Mardan, Swat, Abbottabad, Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan), Kohat and Lower Dir. In the meeting, it was decided to form a committee under the chairmanship of Additional Chief Secretary for the implementation of the scheme.
According to government officials, the meeting also approved the action plan of Khyber Medical University (KMU) to ensure transparency in MDCAT. It is pertinent to mention here that KMC will re-conduct MDCAT in the province.
The official said that 219 candidates involved in using unfair means during the last examination have been blacklisted.
Candidates already registered for MDCAT 2023 will not be charged for the fresh test.
MDCAT cheating scandal
A total of 180,534 students across Pakistan appeared in the MDCAT 2023 exam held on September 10 earlier this month.
Dozens of students were arrested for allegedly cheating through Bluetooth devices during MDCAT held at various national and foreign venues.
At least 10 aspiring doctors were arrested in DI Khan and 43 candidates were detained in Peshawar on charges of cheating during tests for medical and dental colleges.
Surprisingly, all the detained people were using Bluetooth for alleged cheating in examinations. DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates. He told that a huge amount was taken from each student for solving their papers.
It is pertinent to mention here that the caretaker Sindh government had already announced that MDCAT 2023 will be conducted afresh on November 19 – after they were canceled due to “fraud”.
According to Sindh Heath Department, MDCAT 2023 will be conducted again through Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS).
