TN Dr MGR Medical University will not apply the new evaluation scheme for first year MBBS degree students

Updated on: Tuesday, November 27, 2012

The state medical university has informed the Madras high court that it will not apply the new evaluation scheme for first year MBBS degree students this year.

A submission to this effect was made to the first bench comprising Chief Justice M Y Eqbal and Justice T S Sivagnanam, by Narmadha Sampath, counsel for the Tamil Nadu Dr MGR Medical University on Monday.

"The university will not apply the regulations passed in 43rd Standing Academic Committee meeting held on December 19, 2011, for the students of first year MBBS who wrote their examinations in August 2012, and the university will apply the Medical Council of India regulations for this batch of students. This may be brought to the notice of the bench hearing the writ petitions," the university's undertaking read.

The matter relates to the university's new policy of making it mandatory for I year MBBS students to score a minimum of 50% marks in each subject instead of an aggregate of 50% marks in the subjects. It also envisaged a break system as per which unless the student cleared each of the subject with 50% marks each, he cannot attend the second year classes.

This enhanced academic standard resulted in the failure of more than one-third of first year students who wrote the examination in August this year. While the aggrieved students have sought court's intervention and permission to attend second year classes, the university defended its new evaluation scheme saying it had the consent of the Medical Council of India and that it could not be faulted for prescribing higher academic standards.

Faced with campus unrest, besides the fact that the MCI's nod for the new scheme landed after it was introduced this year, the university registrar K Sivasangeetha on Monday wrote to its counsel Narmadha Sampath conveying its decision not to implement the scheme this year.

In deference to the university's request that the court decide the validity of the impugned regulations, the court would pass orders on the matter shortly.

The university has already informed the court that in the August 2012 examinations, 67% of first year MBBS candidates had cleared all subjects without any arrear. Only a minority of the students is against the new pattern, it had said.

TN Dr MGR Medical University will not apply the new evaluation scheme for first year MBBS degree students

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