Peshawar High Court upholds KP govt’s decision to retake MDCAT

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday upheld the decision of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government to retake the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) in 6 weeks.

The court had reserved its decision after hearing arguments from both sides a few days ago.

The provincial government had decided to retake the test after a joint investigation team (JIT) report was released. The JIT report found that candidates had used various methods to cheat, including using mobile phones, Bluetooth devices, and other electronic devices.

The court also disposed of more than 70 applications related to the test.

Read more: Probe team recommends re-conducting MDCAT

BACKGROUND

On September 10, the exam was simultaneously conducted in 31 cities across the country, with over 180,000 hopeful candidates participating. Additionally, according to a spokesperson for the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), 382 students took the test at international centres including 185 in Dubai and 197 in Saudi Arabia.

The PMDC spokesperson provided a breakdown of the number of candidates from different provinces with 66,875 appearing in Punjab, 40,528 in Sindh, 46,439 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 9,230 from Balochistan. Furthermore, 926 candidates appeared in Gilgit-Baltistan, 4,036 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and 12,118 in Islamabad.

Following the MDCAT examination on September 10, complaints surfaced from various cities, including allegations of paper leaks, questions falling outside the prescribed syllabus, and errors in the answer keys.

Use of advanced technology for cheating in the exam sent shockwaves through the medical community after it was found that wireless GSM pens with microphones and micro earpieces, believed to be manufactured in China were used allowing remote communication and guidance for solving the exam paper.

Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan expressed his dismay at the use of advanced technology for cheating, emphasizing the need for a thorough investigation. A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) has been formed to uncover the culprits, with suspicions pointing towards influential educational academies involved in unethical practices.

Consequently, multiple arrests were also made in the case.