KARACHI, Oct 7: The pace of submission of application forms for admission to medical colleges and university in the province is slow as students are unable to get the required documents prepared or delivered in time.

Students said that the Sindh health department had stuck to it old policy pertaining to admissions, making it difficult for them to meet all the conditions in a short span of time. Previously students could procure the documents required for admission to medical institutions because they had sufficient time for the purpose, added a student leader at the Dow Medical College.

However, sources in the health department said that by advancing the time of commencement of admissions the government wanted to start teaching of the new batch well within the academic year. The schedule for admission for the session 2001- 2002, if met accordingly, would help save the precious academic time of students and there would be no need to spend money for applying to private medical institutions, added the source. He pointed out that normally students having marginal marks applied both at government and private colleges to ensure admission.

It was learnt that till Oct 6 about 2,600 application forms and prospectuses had been sold in the city and about 40 applications had been received. In fact, it was due to a lack of coordination between the health department and different educational boards and judicial authorities that students were suffering, noted a senior educationist.

It was also learnt that lately the Sindh health department had asked the in charge of different medical admission centres in the province to contact the district and session judges regarding attestations of documents/affidavits. Students are required to submit at least five different affidavits attested by first-class magistrates who do not exist under the new devolution system of the government, added a parent.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Dow Medical College selection centre, Prof Illahi Bakhsh M. Soomro, told Dawn that after anticipating problems for the students and their parents to get affidavits attested in time, he had already approached the district and sessions judge, Karachi South, on the subject. The judge had agreed to depute a few judicial magistrates in his jurisdiction who would be attesting the affidavits of students free of cost, he added. He said that judges would begin helping students on Monday.

He added that in case of any problem or grievance students could contact him at his office at the DMC. Answering another question, he said he had asked the staff at the admission centre to issue receipt/acknowledgement slips to students who made a payment of Rs700 in cash for entrance test forms while purchasing the admission and prospectus.