LAHORE, May 19: Contrary to its approved policy that the University of Health Sciences, upon its establishment, will take over the management of the entrance test , the Punjab government has this year again decided that the University of Engineering and Technology will hold the test.

When contacted, Punjab Health Minister Dr Tahir Ali Javed confirmed that the chief minister had decided that the UET would continue to hold the entrance test for admission to medical and dental colleges.

He said the government did approve in 2002 that the UHS would take over the management of the entrance test, but the chief minister decided that the UET should be allowed to continue the holding of the test. He said the chief minister wanted to abolish the entrance test gradually.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters on Wednesday, the chief minister said the government would abolish the entrance test gradually as it was an undue burden on students. "The government needs to rectify the problems in the intermediate examination system rather than shifting the responsibility on to students," he said.

As the prevalence of booti mafia in the intermediate examinations was cited as a reason for introducing the entrance test, the CM said the government was focusing the credibility of intermediate examinations. "As soon as the education department will show improvements in the conduct and credibility of the examinations, the government will abolish the entrance test," he said.

He said the condition of entrance test was playing havoc with the students from rural and south Punjab as most of them got tense and forget everything. This situation, he said, was creating hurdles for such students and most of them failed to get admission to medical colleges. "It is highly unfair to judge a student's 12-year studies on the basis of a single test," he said.