KARACHI, Sept 22: After rumours that the University of Karachi is contemplating re-examination of the entire lot of BDS final year candidates, about 40 candidates from various dental colleges visited the varsity to express their opposition to the idea, if any, on Wednesday.

The BDS final year exams of students of four dental colleges were held in May last and its results were expected in the mid of August, said some of the perturbed students, adding they were given to understand that some officials of the university had proposed holding exams for a second time with the contention that papers of the subjects of Operative Dentistry and Orthodontics were leaked out.

Students, who were waiting for an audience with the KU vice-chancellor outside his office since 10am, told this scribe around 4pm, that they had also spoke to a varsity official concerned on the issue and he too had indicated that results were being delayed due some reservations of the dean of medicine.

A group of students in question, after brief talks with the VC told the disturbed students and newsmen present there that they had informed the VC about their apprehensions pertaining to delay in results. "The VC has said efforts are on to declared results in two to three days and we should not believe in any hearsay about re-examination," added a students.

When contacted, the dean of the KU's medicine faculty, Dr Tipu Sultan, said the vice-chancellor had constituted a team to investigate into a complaint regarding leakage of BDS papers in July, which had now been completed and recommendations of the committee, which included him as well, had been submitted to the VC.

He denied to detail his recommendations, but mentioned that circumstantial evidence suggested that irregularities had been observed during the course of examinations, for which students, teachers and examination staff of the university could be held responsible.

Sources privy to students and dean medicine office said the enquiry committee, which included the in-charge of KU semester cell and a senior medicine teacher as well, had lately recommended re-examination of all papers of BDS final year for all candidates.

They said that one of the question papers given to candidates in the examination was similar to what was given to the students of a private dental college in the latter college's respective preliminary exams at the college.

It was alleged that some of the examination staff at the university also played foul and paved way for the paper submitted by the teachers of the private college. At least two of the papers were repeated from the preliminary exams, claimed another source.

However, independent sources were of the view that it was too late to take any decision regarding holding exams again. Simply, it was the responsibility of the teachers of private colleges who resorted to submitting carbon copies of the preliminary exams to the university for examination purpose, remarked another teacher.

Students said that it would be highly unfair on the part of the university to ask every candidate to take the exams and that too after four months, when many of the students were either out of the city or mentally not ready for the exams.

You may say that it was a coincidence that preliminary papers had been selected by the examination staff and as such saying that it was leaked out to students was incorrect, advocated another student.

A teacher said that in a situation when the university was not in a position to prove that the entire lot of students had benefited from the alleged leakage of the paper based on multiple choice questions (MCQs) it would be appropriate to give them marks in the disputed papers on average, keeping in view their performances in other papers.

A senior academician said that the issue was important, but any claim about an alleged leakage should have been made soon after the papers were conducted and not after several months. However, students were of the view that they should not be penalized for the fault of others just on the basis of assumptions. They also vowed to resist any move for re-examination.