Uncertain future of CUST medical students

The situation prevailing at the Chittagong University of Science and Technology (CUST), where MBBS students are facing uncertainty as Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) has refused to register them, is unacceptable. The reason for BMDC not registering 1200 students is that the university administration had inducted more than the approved number of students.

We understand that, as per rules, students have to be registered before they sit for their first of the three professional exams without which they cannot continue their studies. Not only did the university authorities fail to ensure that the students were registered timely, they made students sit for the subsequent two exams, which is also illegal. We wonder why the BMDC had allowed CUST to go on with its teaching curriculum, knowing fully well that the university had let students sit for exams without prior registration. Why should, may we ask, the students suffer because of the fault of the university authorities? And there are instances when the Council had allowed registration even in cases exceeding the permitted number of students.

We also fail to understand why the appropriate government authorities did not take suitable action to correct the situation ab initio. Now so many students are facing uncertainty, of whom a large number are from foreign countries. This speaks grossly about the systemic fault and also tarnishes the image of the country abroad. The situation should be put right immediately and gross anomalies centring round the registration of CUST students need to be fixed. Those responsible for this unwarranted situation must be held to account and penalised.