PANAJI
Alleging an erroneous system was being used to draw up the merit list for the post graduate seats by the Goa Dental College, the United Goans Foundation has written to the Chief Secretary asking that the system not be implemented unless it has the approval of the Dental Council of India.
“From 2017 the GDCH has been admitting students for PG studies based on the NEET ranking, albeit undertaking their own illegitimate classification into Cat A and Cat B without the same classification having backing of any Goa Law and/ or amendment, making the whole exercise arbitrary and illegal,” Dr Aashish Kamat of the United Goans Foundation, said.
According to Kamat, the GDCH’s method is illegal as it classifies eligible Goan domiciled students into Cat A and Cat B depending on their college of graduation whether in Goa or outside the State.
“As per the Merit List of 2021-22, due to such arbitrary categorization, individuals from Cat B who have secured 271, 323 and 586 NEET ranking would have logically figured in the First 10 in the merit list, but have now been relegated to Cat B at unmentioned serial numbers of 21, 22, 23 without any chance of getting selected for the respective 9 number of MDS seats,” he added.
“This act of categorization has no Government directions nor brought about by any change in State regulations, though the DCI regulations do provide for such State privileges. This illegal act has been carried out from the year 2017, putting in jeopardy the future of so many Goan students who secured higher ranking, eligible and found mention in the Merit List, but were subjected to Cat B as they passed out from college outside Goa and that too after the same categorization not finding any mention in any of the prospectus details,” he added.
As per the Dentist Act, the DCI is the sole regulatory authority and all admissions in all Dental Colleges are supposed to be supervised by DCI so that all regulations are followed. In the case of Goa Dental College, even though one of its professors is the Executive Member of the DCI, such illegality is being carried out and that puts in question the integrity of the DCI who on occasions before have been questioned about their working.
The UGF has demanded that the Goa government Health Department and GDCH immediately scrap the MDS Merit list illegally categorizing students into Cat A and Cat B and Issue a fresh list taking into consideration only the NEET ranking as per DCI directions.
UGF has also asked the DCI to take immediate and urgent action into their complaint and intervene in the matter and makes sure that GDCH follows NEET admission guidelines in totality conducts an enquiry into how the DCI members from 2017 allowed such illegal acts to carry on, putting into jeopardy the future prospects of many students who could not be selected for MDS due to the illegal acts of GDCH and who is responsible for undertaking such illegal process of admissions.
“If due action is not taken immediately by the Goa government, Goa Dental College and the DCI into the said matter, then the UGF has stated that they would be forced to pursue further legal action with the Central and State Vigilance as well as seek compensation for all the students who were illegally disqualified from undertaking PG studies in Goa due to the illegal categorization,” the Foundation has said in its letter to the Chief Secretary.
The UGF has put to Notice the Govt of Goa, the Dental College and the Dental Council of India through this notice and has requested all such aggrieved students to get in touch with its members so that the constitutional rights of the students is maintained and justice is served.
