Results being uploaded today
LAHORE, July 20: The correct answer-key of the entrance test for admission to medical and dental colleges will be released on Wednesday (today), UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Malik Husain Mubashar told Dawn on Tuesday.
“Last year, the key carrying correct answers was released a few hours after the test, but it had caused some problems for the UHS management and students as well,” he said.
The UHS on Tuesday conducted entrance test for admission to medical and dental institutions of the province simultaneously at 23 centres (in 12 cities) amid tight security.
Prof Malik said the examination material had started reaching the UHS office from other cities of the province. The UHS administration, he said, had paid remunerations to the 2,750 supervisors and other staff who discharged duties at the centres. Each supervisor and staffer was paid Rs1,500 each.
He said the UHS received no serious complaint from any centre where 31,602 candidates had appeared for entrance test. He said 70 CCTVs were installed at the three examination centres in Lahore to monitor the entrance test. Around 300 gadgets were installed at the other centres.
He said mobile phone jammers and security walkthrough gates were also installed at the examination centres with special arrangements for disabled students.
Lahore Commissioner Khusro Pervez Khan, Aftab Habib, member Chief Minister’s Inspection Team, and other senior officials visited the examination centres.
Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad, who also visited the Lahore examination centres, expressed his satisfaction over the arrangements to conduct the entrance test. He told the media that the UHS ensured that there’s no possibility of cheating or any other negative activity at the examination centres.
The three centres in Lahore were: Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education examination halls on Lawrence Road, University of Engineering & Technology and the UHS. In all 11,094 candidates – 7,319 female and 3,775 male – sat the examination.
In Rawalpindi, the number of candidates who appeared in the test was 4,502, Multan (4,212), Faisalabad (2,984), Gujranwala (2,139), Bahawalpur (1,240), Sargodha (938), Sahiwal (1,080), Gujrat (841), DG Khan (872), Rahim Yar Khan (889) and Hasanabdaal (719).
Talking to the media, UHS Vice-Chancellor Prof Mubashar said highly scientific and sophisticated method had been adopted to maintain secrecy and transparency of the examination papers and whole process. He said admissions to medical colleges would be made on merit.
He said medical college admission test was compulsory across the world, both in developed and developing countries. Neighbouring countries such as Iran, India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka conducted entrance test every year, he added.
The chief minister had appointed divisional commissioners and senior government officials as regional coordinators and monitoring officers to ensure transparency in the examinations.
A press release added the candidates would compete for 3,361 seats – 3,145 MBBS and 216 BDS -- in 15 medical institutions. They include four newly-established colleges in Gujranwala, Sialkot, DG Khan and Sahiwal and three dental colleges in public sector.
Besides, there would be 1,200 MBBS seats in 12 medical colleges and 400 BDS seats in eight dental colleges in private sector.
The UHS will upload the answer keys of question papers on its website.Dawn