PESHAWAR, Nov 18: The Peshawar High Court on Friday stayed the admission process in public sector medical colleges in the province over a writ petition challenging the holding of the entrance test by the Education Testing and Evaluation Authority (ETEA).

The high court bench comprising Justice Qaim Jan Khan and Justice Saleem Khan directed the secretary of the provincial education department and the executive director of the ETEA to furnish written comments within 10 days.

The petition has been filed by Fahd Gul and 22 other students who had appeared in the entrance test last month, but had not qualified for admission on merit.

The petitioners alleged that the checking of the test paper was not up to the mark and marks were given to students on wrong answers, whereas their correct answers were marked wrong.

They have requested the court either to order the concerned people To conduct the test again or get re-checked the papers by the Aga Khan Education Board (AKEB).

Barrister Masood Kausar appeared for the petitioners and contended that the entrance test was not conducted in a transparent manner and various brilliant students who had acquired very high marks in the intermediate examinations either failed to pass the test or were given less marks.

Mr Kausar argued that the entrance test system was introduced to curb corruption in the education system, but instead of serving that purpose this system had also been infested with irregularities and corruption. He pointed out that initially the test was scheduled for Sept 25, but due to leakage of the paper it was conducted in October.

The petitioners’ counsel said the entrance test system had become useless in present circumstances and should be abolished so that students could be given admissions on basis of their marks in the intermediate examination.

Mr Kausar pointed out that recently the Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the entrance test in Punjab and had ordered re-checking of the papers by the AKEB.

Although, the court issued stay order but admissions have already taken place in the medical colleges on the open merit seats and classes were scheduled from Dec 1. The admitted students have also been assigned their roll numbers.

Under the present admission system, the merit list is prepared on the basis of marks obtained by the students in intermediate and secondary examination and the entrance test.