Parents, students allege anomalies in mop-up counselling in Thiruvananthapuram Medical College

The process was stalled for a while after some students demanded admission to colleges closer where they live.

TIRUVANANTHAPURAM :  Even as spot admissions to MBBS and BDS courses were completed on Sunday after filling 550 vacant seats, many students and parents have come up with complaints that they got admissions to colleges that are either too far from their native place or have inadequate facilities.On Sunday, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, where the spot admissions took place, witnessed unruly scenes after some parents alleged irregularities in the admission process and favouritism towards a section of students.

The process was stalled for a while after some students demanded admission to colleges closer where they live. But the process later resumed following the entrance commissioner’s intervention. Hence, the admission process could be completed only around midnight.Gangadharan, a parent from Idukki, said the admission process lacked transparency and many students got admitted to colleges that don’t have even basic standards.

“It is the responsibility of the authorities to admit students at the right course at the right college. In fact, the students are eligible to study for a course. But here, what happened was that vacancies were filled by matching students with colleges located far away,” he said. The mop-up counselling to self-financing medical colleges, which started last Monday, was to fill 550 vacant seats in MBBS and BDS courses. a Supreme Court stay order on Wednesday, the process resumed on Saturday.

However, Entrance Commissioner P K Sudheer Babu told ‘Express’ that they can’t satisfy everybody by admitting them in colleges based on their personal wish.“Spot admission itself means filling vacant seats at existing colleges. It doesn’t mean filling seats based on the students or parents’ interest. Spot admission is the last-phase seat-filling exercise so that students get a final chance at gaining admission. We understand the feelings of the parents and students. Though there were some unruly scenes, the admission process was transparent and conducted by complying with the rules,” said Babu.