The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced its decision to re-conduct the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) for the year 2023. This decision comes in the wake of a major cheating scandal that tainted the credibility of the previous examination.
The announcement was made by an official who informed the media about the caretaker government’s decision. The Peshawar High Court (PHC) is currently hearing petitions filed by candidates seeking a fresh MDCAT test.
The Khyber Medical University will oversee the re-conduct of the MDCAT under strict surveillance. However, the official did not provide any specific schedule for the re-examination.
Earlier this month, the advocate general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa proposed the re-conduct of MDCAT 2023 following the controversy surrounding the previous exam.
The proposal was made during a hearing at the PHC, where a two-member bench comprising Justice Abdul Shakoor and Justice Syed Arshad Ali was examining petitions related to the use of Bluetooth devices during the recent test held on September 10.
A joint investigation team (JIT) submitted an initial report revealing that an organized group, including top officials, was involved in the illegal act of cheating.
FIRs have been registered against 219 suspects. The advocate general highlighted that a technical approach was used for cheating in the test and assured that the ongoing investigation would be taken to a logical conclusion.
The Education Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) executive director also appeared in court, stating that the test is conducted in line with the PMDC Act. He revealed that several devices were recovered before the start of the test.
On September 15, the high court barred the authorities from releasing the results for MDCAT 2023 until September 21. Last week, numerous candidates were arrested on charges of cheating during the MDCAT 2023, which took place on September 10. Bluetooth devices were recovered from the students during the test.
The decision to re-conduct the MDCAT 2023 is a significant step towards ensuring the integrity and credibility of the examination process in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
