By Shafeeq Hudavi, TwoCircles.net,
Kozhikode: Two days after the foundation stone of the new academic block was laid at Cholamala in Malappuram district, the Aligarh Muslim University Malappuram centre has come to news headlines. What brought AMU centre, which tends to keep away from media, to the titles is the recent row over the entrance examinations to MBBS and BDS courses of the university. The Executive Council of AMU, in its special meeting on May 28, decided to cancel on the basis of the report of preliminary enquiry and deliberations of the Executive Council.
T P Ashrafail, Muslim Students Federation (MSF) state president, the students outfit of IUML, while having a talk with Twocircles.net, alleged that the AMU officials, who belong to “North lobby”, were trying to tarnish the reputation of Malayali students by alleging that they have acquired the success in higher examination by copying the answers. These are the planned attempts by the northern lobby to destroy the Malappuram centre by raising baseless allegations, he alleged.
“The results of the examinations to MBBS and BDS courses were held back by the authorities saying that a large number of students qualified for the entrance were from the state. The authorities are saying that the students have copied answers in their examinations. By initiating such a move they implicate that the calibre of the Kerala students should be equal or lower than that of their counterparts in other states. This attitude barely humiliates the state along with its students,” he said.
“Among the total 10389 applicants from across the country, 3,939 students wrote the entrance test at six different centres in the Malappram campus. The number of qualified students is nothing if it is compared to the total applicants,” he added.
IUML MP P V Abdul Wahab, also expressed its dissent over the cancellation of examination citing it was like humiliating the students of Kerala. In a letter to the Union Minister for Human Resources Development Smriti Irani, the Rajya Sabha MP said that the Malayali students shouldn’t be targeted in such a humiliating manner.
“In the national level medical entrance being conducted by CBSE, more than 60 per cent are from Kerala. In AIIMS Delhi alone, of the 360 students, 97 are from Kerala. Of the 10 union members, nine are Keralites. Media reported that in 2013, of the 100 qualified students, 57 were from Kerala. These statistics can’t be neglected,” Abdul Wahab said.
Meanwhile, the authorities of Farook College, where the entrance examination was held, defied the allegation saying the college has a history of holding examinations without any kind of anomalies.
“No details of the students their number, name, address and state – are not provided at the centre,” said college Principal Imbichy Koya.
“For the entrance test on April 26, 10 teachers arrived a day before with the details of the students. Till date no complaints of misconduct of examinations are heard about the college that conducts JEE, AIPMT, ICAR, UGC and GATE examinations. If the students had copied in their examinations the invigilators should have reported the incident to the authorities. No such report was forwarded by the invigilators to AMU,” the principal said.
Adding further T P Ashrafail said, “The present condition of the AMU Malappuram centre is the illustrative of the apathy of the officials concerned,” further adding, that no construction works are taking place at the centre.
“Aligarh officials are misleading Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and other ministers regarding the development works here. The foundation stone for the administration block here in the centre was laid in 2011. But not a single step was taken to complete the construction. They are delaying the construction works with lame excuses,” he added.
Meanwhile, a press release issued by AMU Malappuram Centre director Dr. Abdul Azeez said that that it is not only of these 3,939 students but University has cancelled complete Test conducted at all centers and they will be given chance to appear in the fresh exam which will be conducted in August first week.
“AMU has set highest standards in conducting entrance examinations for all courses and in order to repose the faith of student’s community it has every right to cancel any exam about which it finds any irregularity at any level,” he said.
“The result of Medical Test is not declared and it is wrong to say that 30 students qualified for MBBS from one of the Test centre. Total Fifty percent seats are reserved for internal students of the University who passes from AMU 10+2 School for which University conducts all India Entrance Examination. So it is wrong and misleading to say that seats are reserved for Aligarh students,’’ the director added.
“Cancellation of the Medical Examnation by University is only to maintain authenticity and reliability of its entrance examinations and not due to any other reason. Giving it different colour is highly condemnable as University always welcomes students from all region and religion.
So re-conducting the exam is not for tarnishing the image of Farook College but to maintain impartiality and to remove all doubts and suspicions. If all the students including students from Kerala will again get a chance to appear in the medical examination then how the question of regional bias arises, he clarified.
However, MSF has decided to approach the President of India to urging his intervention to the issue.
Ashrafali said that they will sent a memorandum to the President seeking appropriate action against the attempts by the North lobby to scuttle the developments of the university centre.
Related:
Enquiry set up by AMU over fear of discrepancies in MBBS test