In court: SHC seeks details about DUHS admission policy

DUHS counsel says admission in MBBS, BDS and PharmD programmes could only be given to students domiciled in Karachi

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court sought on Monday details about the admission policy of the Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) in a plea pertaining to admissions not being given to students from interior Sindh.

A two-member bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed, was hearing the case.

The counsel of petitioner Sharqa Jan Magsi maintained that the varsity’s admission policy was in violation of the University Act, 2004, adding that students from interior Sindh were not even allowed to appear for the entry tests. “We have a right to get admission through merit,” stated the petitioner.

The counsel representing DUHS, however, claimed that admission in MBBS, BDS and PharmD programmes could only be given to students domiciled in Karachi, adding that this decision had been made by the university’s syndicate.

The court lashed out at the university administration, asking why only students from Karachi were permitted. The bench questioned where students from other districts would go, asking if students from Sajawal were supposed to go to Punjab, Balochistan or Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to seek admission.

The judges observed to the DUHS counsel that he had previously said that students from Sindh would be admitted into the university, but was now contradicting this.

The counsel responded that every division had different universities. The court asked why students could not get admission based on merit when they sought it at DUHS. The counsel stated that he did not have further knowledge in this regard, adding that he would inform the court about it later after making inquiries.

The court sought details on the admission policy from the university administration by January 28.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2020.