Islamabad: Scores of students staged a protest outside the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) headquarters in Islamabad on Wednesday demanding the reversal of recent changes to the MDCAT examination criteria.
Chanting slogans against the PMDC leadership and policies, the students staged a sit-in at the council’s main entrance. They accused the regulatory body of implementing what they called “anti-education” policies. The protest briefly escalated into a scuffle between demonstrators and law enforcement personnel deployed at the scene.
A heavy police contingent was present to maintain order and strict security measures were put in place as tensions flared during the protest.
The students are calling for the withdrawal of new policies that increase the weightage of attendance and internal assessment in the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) results. They argue that the changes are unfair and detrimental to merit-based admissions.
“This is about our future. Until our demands are met, this sit-in will continue,” said one of the protesting students.
The demonstrators also expressed strong disapproval of PMDC’s leadership, demanding the resignation of both the council president and registrar.
Protesters held banners and placards denouncing what they described as the council’s incompetence and disregard for students’ academic concerns.
The PMDC has not yet issued an official statement in response to the protest.
