LAHORE, SEP 10 (DNA) — Dozens of candidates have been arrested on charges of cheating during the medical and dental college admission test (MDCAT) conducted Sunday by the University of Health Sciences (UHS), according to a senior official of the Higher Education Department (HED).
The HED secretary said these candidates were using Bluetooth devices for cheating. He said the department had been warned about a certain group trying to leak the test using the Bluetooth technology. The official further said they had been tipped off that the same group would try to help candidates cheat during the examination.
Tens of thousands of candidates took the MDCAT in Lahore, Karachi, Quetta, Peshawar and other major cities across the country. The question papers and other sensitive examination materials were dispatched to various cities on Friday under tight security arrangements. The examination papers were kept in sealed steel trunks.
UHS Vice Chancellor Prof Ahsan Waheed Rathore supervised all the arrangements. As many as 19,000 candidates in Lahore, 13,600 in Multan, 4,000 in Gujranwala, 5,000 in Bahawalpur, 7,500 in Faisalabad, 3,000 in DG Khan, 1,700 in Gujrat, 3,000 in Sargodha, 2,500 in Sialkot, 3,300 in Rawalpindi and 3,700 candidates in Sahiwal took the test.
The Punjab government appointed around 5,000 supervisory and invigilation staff, whereas the UHS deputed senior faculty members of the university as head couriers and couriers for conducting the test.
Vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, principals, and senior faculty members of government medical institutions in relevant cities are monitoring the examination, while officers of the Specialized Health Care and Medical Education Department, deputy commissioners supervised the arrangements.
To prevent entry of unauthorised persons into the examination centres, the Section 144 had been imposed. The MDCAT exam started at 10:00 a.m and concluded at 1.30 pm. The question paper comprised 200 multiple choice questions from Biology, Chemistry, Physics, English and Logical Reasoning, as per the curriculum notified by the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PM&DC).
The minimum qualifying marks for admission to the disciplines of MBBS and BDS are 55 per cent and 50 per cent, respectively. According to UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Rathore, the interim Punjab chief minister had directed all departments concerned to make immaculate arrangements for smooth and flawless conduct of the admission test.
Before its commencement and during the test, police personnel ensured extensive patrolling. Walk-through gates and mobile jammers were installed at all major examination centres. Traffic police had been directed to make proper traffic and parking arrangements to ensure a smooth flow of traffic near test centres.
VC Prof Rathore said that emergency healthcare services had been ensured at all centres which included fully equipped ambulances, doctors along with paramedical staff, and necessary medicine.
Arrangements were also made to ensure uninterrupted power supply to all the centres during the test. Candidates were not allowed to bring any cell phones, calculators, smart & digital watches, books, bags, and electronic devices to the test centres. Analog watches were allowed, however.
The UHS VC had warned that there would be zero tolerance for the use of unfair means in the test. He said that candidates must bring with them the printout of their admittance card as well as their original CNIC/NICOP/JC/Passport/B-Form. He added that biometric verification of candidates was being carried out at each centre by NADRA teams. — DNA
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