KARACHI: The MD-CAT entry test paper for Medical and Dental College in Larkana was leaked ahead of time, with mafia figures reportedly selling answer keys to students for hefty amounts ranging from Rs 1 million to Rs1.2 million each.
This scandal surfaced hours before the scheduled exam. The leaked answer keys were obtained before the test, revealing large-scale malpractice.
The entry test, scheduled for this morning, includes 4,812 candidates, with the participation of 2,591 male students and 2,211 female students.
Under the supervision of the University of Health Sciences, the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MD-CAT) is being held today in 30 cities and 2 international centres, with 12 cities in Punjab hosting the test in 26 different centres. A total of 82,500 candidates are participating in the exam.
To ensure the integrity of the examination process, mobile and internet services will be suspended in the vicinity of all 26 exam centres, covering a 500-meter radius, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. This move aims to prevent cheating and ensure a fair examination environment.
In Karachi, two main exam centres have been set up at NED University and Dow University Ojha Campus. A total of 12,846 candidates are expected to take the exam, with 6,000 appearing at NED University and 6,846 at Dow University.
The Sindh Home Department has taken active measures to prevent cheating, imposing Section 144 around exam centres and banning mobile phones, wallets, and any electronic items. Mobile signals will be jammed to further prevent any malpractice.
The exam will run from 10 am to 1:30 pm, with entry allowed only between 7 am and 9 am. The city’s medical and dental colleges offer 858 seats, including 746 for open merit and 112 for self-finance candidates.
Pandemonium was witnessed at the start of the Medical & Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) in Larkana after the gates of the examination centers were closed leaving scores of candidates outside and prompting their parents to try to break the locks of these gates.
Similar scenes were witnessed at Karachi’s NED University where the students, reaching just a few minutes late because of traffic issues, were not allowed entry into the examination hall.
The students said the university ought to have been mindful of the fact that there had been a rush at the University Road since morning. They lamented that their hard work had been wasted by Karachi’s traffic.
Parents of a female candidate said their daughter was coming in a rickshaw which overturned and she got injured. Still, she made it to the university; but was not allowed inside the examination hall, they said.
In Karachi, female students who were to take the test at the Dow University of Health Sciences had to go through an ordeal when the university administration asked them to remove their jewellery and hand them over to their parents before they could enter the examination hall.
The parents, on the other hand, complained how the girls, standing in queues for two hours, would be able to find them in such a rush.
They said there were no such instructions. The Dow University, they said, had crossed all limits of shamelessness. The parents said their daughters were weeping but the administration was not taking pity on them.
They demanded the Sindh government take action against the university’s administration. In her message, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, while expressing her good wishes for the candidates, said that their hard work would not go waste. “My dear kids. My prayers are for you. And you will succeed.”
She also issued directives for ensuring best arrangements at the examination centers. The CM also ordered that the students should not face any difficulty while solving their papers.
Meanwhile, the Dow University Health Sciences administration denied reports of the paper leak and clarified there was no question of a paper leak.
The spokesperson of Dow University made a statement over the alleged paper leak of the MDCAT.