DADU, UMERKOT, SHIKARPUR: A number of students seeking admission to medical colleges staged demonstration before local press club along with their parents against paper leak in Chandka Medical College Larkana during National Testing Service (NTS) entry test for admission.
They demanded inquiry against NTS authority’s paper leak across Sindh district’s colleges. They chanted slogans against NTS and Chandka Medical College Larkana authorities.
Faisal Leghari, Abid Babar, Darya Khan Panhwer and several students alleged that NTS functionaries took bribes before the test and they leaked the paper to the influential people.
More than 1,800 candidates appeared for entry test but after leaking of paper, many students were deprived from the chance of being selected.
In 2016, a similar incident happened but the Sindh government did not take any action against NTS authorities.
The students demanded NTS to be banned in Sindh citing the failure of NTS authorities to provide a system based on merit.
They have demanded of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Sindh High Court and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to take notice against the corruption of NTS authorities and to direct them to conduct the test again.
Similarly, in Umerkot, candidates who appeared in NTS test for admission in medical colleges held a protest demonstration on the second day against National Testing Service (NTS) and demanded re-tests and sacking of NTS officials involved.
Carrying banners and placards they were chanting slogans against NTS administration accusing them of being involved in the leak of NTS test paper.
Candidates Kunal, Utam, Dipika and others accused that their fellow students who were less than average students and passed their intermediate with marks that rendered them ineligible for NTS tests have been awarded more than 80 percent marks in the test by NTS.
The paper was made public 16 hours on social media before the test, they alleged.
Saba Bajeer and Hina Malhi said they were brilliant students throughout their educational career and always got positions from nursery to intermediate but because of this blunder, they were deprived of their right.
Abdul Khalique Rahimoon said that due to corrupt practice of NTS staff hundreds of eligible students were denied of their right of admission in medical colleges.
They urged the Chief Justice of Supreme Court to take suo motu action and to order an inquiry into the paper leak and also direct NTS to conduct test again.
Jalal Jani, father of a female candidate said that this incident reflected ill practice of NTS.
The protestors also staged sit-in at Allah Wala Chowk and later the protest was called off on Umerkot Deputy Commissioner Nadeem Ur Rehman’s assurance that he would talk to Sindh government to resolve the issue.
Also, in Shikarpur, a number of students held protest demonstration against National Tasting Service (NTS) accusing NTS officials of leaking test paper for admission in medical colleges and universities before a day.
Addressing the protestors, Raaz Khan Pathan, senior leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh, said that the incident was condemnable and sheer injustice had happened with students.
While scores of students have been protesting against the leak of NTS test paper for days, the Sindh government has not taken any step to resolve the issue.
Protesters threatened that if their legal demand was not met they would knock the door of judiciary to elicit their due right which was being snatched from them.
Scores of students of Shikarpur, Jacobabad and Kashmore also recorded their protest and demanded high ups to postpone results of medical entry test and conduct it again for larger interests of the future of students.
A large number of students carrying banners and placards chanted slogans against NTS.
Published in Daily Times, October 26th 2017.