PESHAWAR, Sept 29: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has rejected the health department's summary seeking restoration of the admission quota for children of teachers and doctors in the state-run medical colleges of the province, sources said.

They said that the summary for restoration of the teachers' children quota in the medical colleges was sent to the government two months ago.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had abolished the quota system in all medical colleges in 2000 and had directed that merit should be followed in admissions. Before this, there was two per cent quota in medical colleges reserved for medical teachers on which the children of the doctors were given admission.

According to official sources, the provincial law department, chief secretary and chief minister had rejected the summary that sought 30 per cent quota for sons and daughters of the teachers in seven public sector medical colleges on the plea that the restoration of the quota system would amount to the violation of the apex court's decision.

Besides its 2000 verdict, the SC had also rejected a review petition filed by the medical teachers due to which these seats could not be restored.

In order to ensure merit-based admissions to medical colleges, the apex court had also decided to review the policy in 2007 and do away with reserved seats for the students from Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Afghan refugees, Bangladesh and backward areas.

The sources said that the decision was however not reviewed and all the students except teachers' children continued to take admission on the reserved seats.

The officials said that now the teachers would again file a petition in the court wherein they would plead that 32 students from Fata were admitted in Khyber Medical College, 28 in Ayub Medical College, 10 each in the Gomal Medical College and Saidu Medical College and three each in the Khyber College of Dentistry and Ayub College of Dentistry while there were 26 seats for tribal students in other colleges of the country.

They said that the court would be requested that the Fata students were not willing to be posted in their hometowns though they had been allotted quota on the assurance that they would serve their backward areas after becoming doctors.

“We can build a strong case as we have been performing academic as well as clinical services to the students and patients while the Fata doctors are violating the rules by not working in their native areas,” said a senior medical teacher who opted not to be named.

He said that the SC had also decided that by 2007, the verdict concerning quota system in medical colleges would be revised and except disabled students all other students would not be allowed to seek admission under the quota system.