MBBS, MADE IN CHINA

The average tuition fee for a Chinese medical university is around $2,000 a year, plus another $1,000 to cover board and lodging. ‘‘Given that in India, I would have had to pay Rs 20 lakh for just a donation, China is a better choice for me,’’ says Ganesh Anand, a second-year medical student at Suzhou.

Vishwajit Sagar, an agent with the Nagpur-based South East Asia Educational Services got 100-odd students admitted to Suzhou last year; the count doubled this time around. More than 100 students also enrolled at the Nantong and Jiangsu universities.

‘‘This is a win-win situation for all,’’ says Sagar. From Maharashtra alone, 45,000 students sit for the medical entrance exam every year, competing for a mere 3,000 places. Studying in China offers a chance to ‘‘thousands of deserving students’’ who are left out in the competition. And Beijing, in turn, encourages the influx which boosts its reputation as an education centre.

There are concerns, though. Medical students in Russia and Eastern Europe have faced tough consequences when they returned home, their degrees not being recognised by the Medical Council of India. Several failed the MCI’s screening test and could not practise despite the degree.

Agents, however, are quick to point out China is not Russia. ‘‘Unlike Russia, the educational environment in China is closely monitored by the government so that certain standards are guaranteed,’’ says Dr Ramasamy, an agent for the Coimbatore-based International Educational Consultants that has begun to enrol students at China Medical University in the northern Chinese city of Shenyang from this year. ‘‘China today has a buzz whether in manufacturing, textiles or education, so it’s fashionable and useful for young people to gain exposure to China.’’

Claims apart, the Indian Embassy had expressed concern a few months ago after several students complained of lack of qualified and English-teaching faculty. Students, in any csae, are given classes in Mandarin and are expected to pass a language proficiency exam at the end of their degree.

Many of these colleges now plan to bring in professors from India, to ensure that the syllabus taught is in sync with that of the MCI. Faculty apart, some, like the China Medical University, intend to get cooks from India so that students get their dal roti.

That, however, may not be enough. Gautam Rao, a first year student at Suzhou says most Indian students struggle through the lectures. ‘‘The professors have only recently learnt English and their vocabulary is poor. Plus its tough to follow their accent,’’ he says.

Moreover, students are often lured by universities claiming to be ranked among the top 10 or 20 medical universities in China. No official ranking of medical colleges is available, so a university’s position can differ dramatically, depending on the source.

One website, ranked Suzhou University’s medical department at number 17. But as Tan Lu, the vice-dean in charge of foreign students at Suzhou, admits, most other rankings have the university between 35-37th place.

Sagar, however, claims that the standard of students at Suzhou is quite high — one of them scored 92 per cent in his school-leaving exams. This, though, most universities require students to have scored only 50-60 per cent in their Plus-Two examinations. The China Medical University could fill up only 25-odd seats when it pitched a high cut-off of 70 per cent. It had hoped to enrol as many as 150 students.

The question of practising on return, however, remains. The first batch of students are expected to return to India in the next three to four years when their degrees will be tested. As of now, Chinese colleges are grappling with conforming to MCI standards. Tan had visited India this summer and met MCI officials to discuss synchronisation of the syllabi. Student Ganesh Anand agrees — all students at Suzhou get special coaching on weekends to be able to qualify the MCI screening test for medical degrees earned abroad. But the real test, he admits, will come when he returns with the degree.