Most of the private medical and dental colleges across the country have failed to draw enough students for the current academic year’s undergraduate (MBBS and BDS) programmes, forcing the authorities to extend the last date of submitting applications.
According to the health ministry, the admission process is ongoing at 55 private medical and 14 dental colleges, though it was learnt that two-thirds of the private institutes, especially the new medical colleges, failed to receive enough applications within the scheduled time.
Among the 14 dental colleges – with the exception of Dhaka Dental College – the number of applicants was almost zero, prompting the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to extend the last date of application and admission.
At a general meeting Saturday, the Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) officials strongly criticised the health ministry’s “mass approval” of medical colleges by violating its own admission policy, sources said.
Seeking anonymity, senior officials of the BMDC told the Dhaka Tribune that according to the admission policy, each new medical college should apply for registration within two months of students’ admission, but they fail to do so even after two years. The health ministry allegedly do not take any action against the colleges, but grant permission to the med schools for extended numbers of seats.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official of the DGHS said only a few medical colleges like Bangladesh Medical College, Ibrahim, Holy Family Red Crescent, Uttara Adhunik, National, Zahurul Islam, Comilla Eastern, Rajshahi Islamia, East West, and Community Based Medical Hospitals have received applications that are eight- to tenfold their existing seats.
Most of these colleges – where the admission fee was between Tk1.5m and Tk3m – had received 800 to 1,300 applications against less than 100 available seats in each institutes.
Sources said the DGHS rescheduled the beginning and final dates for student admission, after taking the situation under consideration.
The previous dates of November 20 as the start of admissions and December 10 as the last date, were moved to November 30 and December 20 respectively.
Dr Moazzem Hossain, president of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA), said they did not apply to the DGHS for extending the admission date. He said most of the old medical colleges have already published the merit list of the students who were eligible for admission and had begun the admission process itself.
Admitting that most students and their guardians aimed for renowned medical colleges, Dr Moazzem said those who fail to secure seats at their desired colleges later try to be admitted at less qualified medical colleges.
He also assumed that the dates were rescheduled as the new medical college were yet to receive enough applications from the students.
Medical education specialists said only 15-20 medical colleges had the proper facilities to be considered as standard-quality institutes.
