Fear psychosis grips students over Govt’s hasty move on PMT

Unfortunately, the students who appeared for the HSC examination in March early this year had no inkling of the unpleasant surprise that lay in store for them by the government. “We had gone for the vacation after the examination and were in the midst of a well-deserved holiday when in May the government announced the compulsory holding of the PMT. Is it fair to appear for a fresh test totallyunprepared?” asks another student Kiran Mehta.

The government too seems to be helpless in the matter. It is bound to follow the Supreme Court verdict of holding the PMT in the State on July 12. Of course responding to the sudden development, the State government filed a petition in the Supreme Court pleading for implementation of the PMT scheme from next year. The SC is still to decide on the case though. This has further complicated matter for the students who have to study afresh for competing in the PMT.

Criticising the sudden announcement of the PMT test, S Kurisu, lecturer at the SFS College says it is a big setback to the students aspiring to become doctors. “For two long years the students studied with a single-minded devotion to do well in the HSC examination. They attended regular classes and also coaching classes to score a heavy percentage for qualification in medical institutes. Now their dreams are shattered as they have to begin fresh studies for competing in the PMT,” he says.

It istrue that the government has gone in appeal for the deferment of the PMT test by next year. Students however, claim the government has delayed in informing the students about the holding of the PMT when it had prior knowledge of it.

The charge, however is denied by Dr Nagrale, Dean, Government Medical College and Hospital, who says the government has lost no time in informing the students about the PMT. The government also immediately went in appeal for the deferment of the test till next year so that the students get sufficient time for preparation.

But A M Bedge, chairman of the Education Board, Nagpur Division, refuses to comment on the issue. Dr Nagrale claims no student is at any kind of disadvantage even if the dates of the PMT have been announced so late. “Look at it this way. If it is a disadvantage as you claim, it is same in equal measure for all the students. How then is the sudden decision discriminatory?” he counter-questions.

Driven by a fear psychosis about the PMT, the students are inan anxious state about the pattern of examination, the kind of questions and the medium of the question paper. The language students feel questions should also be set in Marathi, Urdu and Hindi besides the regular English. The government had convened a meeting in Mumbai of a few selected teachers from various subjects, on June 5 to choose the question setters for the PMT. The meeting was chaired by the director of the Medical Education and Research. Even in the meeting the government could not decide whether the PMT questions would be just in English or other languages as well. Dr Nagrale says even if the questions are in English what problem would the language students have.

After all the HSC questions are always set in English, he says.

Confusion is also compounded over the proposed centres of the examination. If the centres are few, the students would have to come out of their small towns which would mean extra expenses for them.