HC questions legality of 50% foreigners’ quota in pvt medical colleges

The High Court today questioned the legality of the provision for keeping 50 percent quota for foreigners for admission to private medical colleges.

In response to a writ petition, it issued a rule asking the authorities concerned of the government and four private medical colleges to explain in four weeks as to why the provision of keeping 50 percent quota for foreigners for admission to private medical colleges should not be illegal.

In the rule, the court asked them to show cause as to why they should not be directed to keep 30 percent quota for female students for admission to both public and private medical colleges.

The HC, in the rule, also asked the authorities to come up with an answer as to why they should not be ordered to cancel the medical admission test for the 2016-2017 academic year held on October 7 for the errors in the question paper.

Health secretary, director general of directorate of health services and its director (health, education and manpower development), vice chancellor of Dhaka University, president of Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council, and principals of Dhaka National Medical College, Ibrahim Medical College, Holly Family Red Crescent Medical College and Bangladesh Medical College have been made respondents to the rule.   

The bench of Justice Quamrul Islam Siddique and Justice Sheikh Hassan Arif came up with the rule after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Eunus Ali Akond challenging the provision for keeping 50 percent quota for foreigners for admission to private medical colleges.

Citing from the petition, Eunus told The Daily Star that the health ministry last year issued a circular incorporating the provision for 50 percent quota for foreigners for admission to private medical colleges.

The provision is unreasonable, as the students of the country have been deprived of their fundamental rights to get educated, he said, adding that the foreigners are being admitted to private medical colleges without any examination.

The lawyer said there is no quota for the country's female students for admission to the medical colleges.