KARACHI, Oct 20: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) has invited fresh enrolment from students of the Dow Medical College (DMC) and the Sindh Medical College (SMC) , those already enrolled with the University of Karachi for their First Prof MBBS (Part A) Annual Examinations due to be held in January 2005. Sources on both campuses opined Dow University's action as illegal and unauthorized.
A notification issued by the DUHS controller of examinations on Wednesday said that enrolment forms of First Prof MBBS Part A Annual Examinations 2005 students of the DMC and SMC would be accepted till November 5 without late fees. Students submitting forms after that would have to pay Rs200 as late fees.
When contacted, the KU Vice-Chancellor, Dr Pirzada Qasim, insisted that enrolment of students of the DMC and SMC were intact with his university, and till date none of the two affiliated colleges in question had applied for any transfer of enrolment. "The university holds the responsibility of the students enrolled with it, and will not like that they were handled by any other parallel authority, without meeting the formalities, as far as enrolment and examination matters were concerned," he added.
He said that during an informal meeting at the Governor House the other day, the bulk transfer of enrolments was touched, and it was decided that both the DUHS and KU should place the matter before their statutory bodies, so that the transfer issue could be discussed and a legal way found out.
The haste on the part of the DUHS was beyond comprehension and tantamount to ignoring the routine and statutory drill required under KU's registration and transfer rules, he remarked.
He mentioned that the DUHS's proposal for transfer of enrolments would be placed before the KU academic council, which is scheduled to meet on October 23. Any action to be taken would be only in the light of the recommendations of the meeting, he added.
A source at the KU said that a proforma had also been designed and printed in hundreds for onward distribution among students through their principals for seeking an option for for the transfer of enrolment from KU to the DUHS.
When contacted the KU Controller of Examinations, Anwar Zaidi, said the said MBBS students to be examined in January 2005, were already enrolled with KU, and till Wednesday, KU had not accorded any permission to the students for a dual enrolment.
Talking to Dawn on Wednesday, the DUHS Vice-Chancellor, Prof Masood Hameed Khan, opposed the idea of giving students the option of either a KU or DUHS degree.
He justified that no hue and cry had been made when an en-bloc transfer was made to the Liaquat University of Health Sciences and the University of Health Sciences of Punjab, adding that he failed to understand why objections were being raised in the case of the DUHS.
He said the DUHS was carrying out the enrolment process in the case of students already registered with KU in line with a decision reached at a recent meeting at the Sindh governor's secretariat. It was resolved at the said meeting that the DUHS should go for enrolment of the said First Prof MBBS Part-I students, he claimed.
Moreover, the VC continued, that he wanted to ascertain that admissions and enrolment given in previous years were free of any irregularity and those studying at the DMC and SMC were admitted purely on the basis of merit.
To a question, he said that the DUHS academic council, some three months back, had recommended that the varsity should hold all professional examinations of the DMC and SMC students enrolled with KU.
And if needed - after the outcome of the KU academic council's meeting - he would go for convening a meeting of the university's syndicate on the issue of transfer of students enrolment.