Medical students protest new examination system

TRICHY : About 200 medical students of the KAVP Government Medical College in Trichy on Tuesday demonstrated in front of their college by wearing black badges against what they called the new system of examination and evaluation process that has been introduced by the Dr MGR Medical University. by wearing black batches in front of their college.
Their students' anger was triggered since as about 35 first year MBBS students out of a100 had failed in their exams, and they collectively attributed this failure to the new system of evaluation, which that the students alleged, had been followed arbitrarily in contravention of the Medical Council of India (MCI) norms.
There are six papers in three subjects - namely Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry. In the earlier system of evaluation, it was enough to score a collective total of 100 marks in the two papers of 50 marks each, but the university insisted that the students should get a minimum of 50 marks in all the papers to obtain a pass mark.
In other words, A MBBS student from Trichy who secured 80 marks in paper I and 44 in paper II was declared failed in his subject, though he had scored a cumulative 124 marks, which meant 24 more than the required to get a pass in the earlier system. In the earlier system, a separate pass was not needed and a combined pass was enough. Moreover, in the earlier system there was only one paper at a time - I Anatomy first and II Anatomy, six months later.
The agitating students, who did not want to be individually named told TOI that the university had earlier announced that any new system of evaluation process would be introduced from February, 2012 onwards. But they questioned why it had followed a different system without any prior warning. According to them, the university wanted to make the examination process strict, but they said that there was no point in tightening the exam pattern without improving the teaching methodology that was lacking.
Meanwhile, the agitation was also timed in such a way as the matter is seized of the high court and the final verdict in the matter is expected in a couple of days.