KARACHI  -  Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has approved Rs 232.1 million for re-conducting the Medical and Dental College Entrance Test (MDCAT) in Sukkur, here on Wednesday.

During the Sindh Cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister highlighted that the paper leak not only tarnishes the reputation but also threatens the future of the students. “I want transparency in all examinations including MDCAT,” he asserted. The cabinet was informed that MDCAT is being held every year in Sindh since 2017-18 with testing centers in Karachi, Hyderabad, Nawabshah, Sukkur and Larkana. Due to the recent paper leak, the matter has reached the High Court. The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) in Karachi has declined further involvement in conducting the MDCAT, so IBA Sukkur will now fully monitor the exam. The revised MDCAT will be conducted within six weeks.

Meanwhile, the secretary of the testing agency of IBA Sukkur has written to the Sindh health secretary to present a seven-point agenda, which he said must be implemented immediately to conduct MDCAT under the institution. He stressed that the deadline to hold the test is approaching, so two focal persons from the PMDC and the health department should be appointed immediately, and an online meeting of the representatives of the PMDC, IBA Sukkur, universities, and the health and universities & boards departments should be called immediately.

In the order of the Sindh High Court (SHC), four weeks starting from October 26 were provided to hold MDCAT under IBA Karachi and Sukkur IBA University (Siba). However, since IBA Karachi has refused to hold the test for the Karachi region and the same would also be conducted by the Siba Testing Service (STS), more time is required to prepare for it and execute it.

Furthermore, seven days have already lapsed from the given time, and STS has not yet received any directions (in writing) either from the universities & boards secretary or from the health secretary.

The letter states that STS would charge Rs6,000 per candidate, and this amount should be deposited in the official bank account 15 days before the scheduled date of the test.

The STS secretary also asked the health secretary to get the SHC’s approval for conducting MDCAT under STS for the whole province, including Karachi, because the court order had restricted IBA Sukkur to hold the test for the entire province except Karachi.

The letter read that all the candidates who have applied for MDCAT through the PMDC’s online portal, their data must be shared with STS within two working days, while an MoU must be signed between STS and the health department regarding the test’s conditions.

The letter states that upon agreement of all the seven points by the health department, STS would agree to hold MDCAT, and the confirmation of the agreement must also be communicated by the health department (in writing) at the earliest. The STS secretary said that all the activities of the test would be initiated only after the written approval of the health department, and STS would not be responsible for any delays in holding MDCAT if the written approval is not received in time and in line with the seven conditions.