ISLAMABAD: Provisional equivalence certificates will be issued to O and A level students after verification of their online results to enable them to apply to medical and dental colleges.

Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) on Wednesday took up the concerns of students - whose results were to be announced on Jan 11, 2021 and required equivalence to be issued by the Inter Board Committee of Chairmen (IBCC) before Jan 19, 2021 - with the government and IBCC.

Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had requested the IBCC to take urgent steps in consultation with the PMC.

It was therefore decided that provisional equivalence certificates would be issued after verification of online results to facilitate students in applying to medical and dental colleges.

According to a statement issued by the PMC, an emergency meeting was held between IBCC Secretary Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah and PMC Vice President Mohammad Ali Raza at the commission’s head office to address the students’ concerns.

It said IBCC had announced a special policy on the directions of the education minister to collect applications from students who appeared in O and A level examination from Dec 31, 2020. Students are required to submit their application through TCS, but will also be accommodated if they dropped their applications under observance of standard operating procedures (SOPs).

The walk-in mode of service will be active till Jan 30, 2021.

The candidates will be required to submit original and attested copies of O and A level certificates passed before Nov 2020 along with the statement of entry for the November 2020 examination session.

They will also be required to submit an affidavit stating in case of any alteration with the results or documents, IBCC reserves the right to take action in accordance with its regulations.

After receiving online results, IBCC will prepare provisional equivalence within three days which candidates will be able to collect from the board committee’s head office in Islamabad or its regional offices in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta.

IBCC will also send the provisional equivalence by e-mail to candidates.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2020