Education Vice

Crime and punishment?

By Sana Haq

It is with a deep sense of injustice that I relate to you the plight of an A level student who wants to become a doctor. To start with, the O/A level system of studies is predominantly considered to be for the rich, a stereotype that has deeply been embedded in the minds of people. O/A level students are considered to be rich spoiled brats. Such an attitude automatically leads to a divide between the two parallel educational systems. Even the authorities fail to give A level students much credit. In order to qualify for a Pakistani university, A level grades are converted to F.Sc. marks according to a formula that reduces Straight As (ranging from 90 percent to 100 percent) to a mere 85 percent. Thus an A level student can score no more than 935 marks in the F.Sc. equivalence, no matter how many subjects one might have aced on an international level. Consequently, only a very small percentage of A level students are lucky enough to score 935 marks, which seems unjust considering that numerous F.Sc. students cross the 1000 marks range each year. Going through the process this year, it almost seems like a crime to me to have graduated from the A level system.

For all the A level students aspiring to become doctors, there are more problems. The Medical Colleges Admission Test (MCAT) for Punjab Medical Colleges (PMC) conducted each year is based on the F.Sc. course. The F.Sc. students prepare for the test from their textbooks, but the A level students, until recently, had to learn the entire two-year F.Sc. course by heart in just three months. It is not an easy task since the MCAT is more a test of how well one can recall facts and figures rather than testing one’s problem solving and reasoning skills. With the pressure of cramming six books in three months and the 935 mark limit, the A level student has a meager chance of getting into PMC. Last year, out of 18,263 candidates who appeared for the test, approximately 430 were A level students and only 7 percent (around 30 students) were able to gain admission in PMC. These statistics are enough to discourage the A level clan.

This year, the chief minister announced a separate test for non-F.Sc. students. There were a lot of problems: we had to have our Equivalences made on urgent basis. Then we hand deposited them at UHS Lahore, although we learnt later on it wasn’t required: a proof of the mismanagement and lack of instructions to the admission offices. The non-F.Sc. test syllabus on the UHS website was removed a few days prior to the test as it was occupying ‘space’ on the website. Many of the invigilators were not well-trained and did not hand out the pink coloured MCQ sheets that were for the A level students. But the worst was yet to come: the non F.Sc. test was very tough. If you compare the F.Sc. and A level sample papers provided in the PMC prospectus, you would see the gaping difference in the questions. The F.Sc. questions were direct response statements but the A level questions were more time consuming. The Cambridge Board ordains an average time of 90 seconds for each MCQ it sets in the A level papers; in the MCAT, however, we approximately had 40 seconds to answer each MCQ. Hence solving the test in 2.5 hours was an impossible feat. This speaks volumes about the sort of problems A level students encounter in the local system.

Another round of protests followed and there was some talk amongst the higher authorities of a separate quota of seats for A level students, but that was seen as an infringement of rights by the F.Sc. students. As per policy, the top 2700 students (according to the aggregate score of F.Sc. marks and MCAT marks) are eligible to apply to PMC. The merit list came out on October 21, and as far as I know not even a single A level student was able to make it to the top 2700. This raises a lot of eyebrows. Where A level students are equally deserving of graduating from the reputable King Edward University, Fatima Jinnah Medical College etc, such statistics raise doubts about the credibility of the non F.Sc. MCAT. Was it really a good-intentioned gesture to give A level students their due rights?

My parents have worked laboriously to provide me with the best education and dream to see me become a doctor one day, but with the prevalent situation, will I — or any of my comrades — realise our dreams of becoming doctors?