Don’t travel to Pakistan for med education: Nat’l body – Times of India

Mumbai: The National Medical Commission has issued a notice asking students to not travel to Pakistan for medical education, including dental programmes. This comes a week after the University Grants Commission and the All India Council of Technical Education warned aspirants that their education from Pakistan would be beyond the pale.
Those who joined Pakistan degree colleges and institutions before December 2018 or later after obtaining security clearance from the ministry of home affairs would be exempted though.
Two months ago, the medical education regulator had warned Indian students planning to pursue higher studies in China, saying it did not recognise “degree courses done only in online mode without prior approval”. The advisory against travelling to China for education came in early February after the Chinese government suspended all visas from November 2020 because of Covid-19.
Now, following the directions of the UGC and AICTE, the NMC notice issued on Thursday night, stated: “Any Indian national/ OCI who intends to take admission in MBBS/ BDS or equivalent medical course in any medical college of Pakistan shall not be eligible for appearing in FMGE or seeking employment in India on the basis of the education qualifications (in any subject) acquired in Pakistan.” The Dental Council of India issued a similar notice. The notice added: “However, migrants and their children who have acquired medical/dental or higher education degree in Pakistan and have been awarded citizenship by India would be eligible for seeking employment in India after obtaining Security Clearance from MHA.”
After the UGC and AICTE put out their notice last week, Pakistan’s foreign office “strongly deplored’ the issuance of such a public notice.
Data published by the ministry of external affairs in July 2021 states there were 230 Indian students enrolled in Pakistani institutions. In September 2020, over 354 students, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, applied to cross the border into Pakistan when the country reopened educational institutions after the pandemic lockdown.
“There are hundreds of students enrolled in different medical colleges of Pakistan and they have no idea now what to do,” said a student over Twitter.
“It’s very unfortunate when students have spent many years in Pakistan to complete medical degree, suddenly UGC issued this notification from nowhere.”

Read More