Fallout of cheating scandal: MDCAT test to be conducted again

Fall out of the cheating scandal of the Medical Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) continues, with the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa announcing that it will again conduct the test following the insistence of candidates.

Chief Education Secretary Arshad Khan presented a report regarding MDCAT in the supervisory cabinet meeting presided over by Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Muhammad Azam Khan.

After discussing the report in the meeting, it was decided to conduct the test again within six weeks under the supervision of Khyber Medical University.

On this occasion, caretaker information minister Barrister Feroze Jamal Kakakhel told the media in a briefing that the forensics of the gadgets seized from more than 200 students in MD CAT will be carried out.

The minister said that samples of all the gadgets have been sent to Islamabad, to clean the systems from duplication and prevent such incidents.

Previously, Peshawar police arrested seven suspects, including the mastermind “facilitating” cheating in MDCAT.
City police also received several complaints of some students cheating via Bluetooth devices and more equipment.

Additionally, 74 candidates, including men and women have also been arrested and 19 cases have been registered at eight police stations in the provincial capital.

The case

Dozens of candidates had been caught cheating in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) MDCAT exams conducted in a number of cities on September 10.

Over 40 candidates, including 20 female candidates, were arrested in Peshawar while 10 were taken into custody in DI Khan.

All of the detainees were said to be using Bluetooth to cheat in the test. And as reported by Geo, DI Khan police sources claimed that VIP passes were issued to the candidates for which a hefty amount was paid to take the exam through dishonest means.

Students and parents filed complaints to the Human Rights Cell in Peshawar regarding the results and integrity of the system which were then sent to the PHC chief justice.

The applicants asserted that approximately 200 students were caught using Bluetooth devices during the examination.