Southern States - Tamil Nadu-Chennai   

BDS students caught in row over excess admissions

By K. Ramachandran

CHENNAI Feb. 19. About 400 former and present BDS students in the Thaimoogambigai Dental College and Hospital at Mogappair here are facing an uncertain future. They are caught in a row between the institution and the Dental Council of India over excess admissions made in the past few years, in violation of DCI norms. Against a sanctioned strength of 40, the college has been admitting 60 candidates every year, the students claim.

Strangely, despite knowing the violations, the Tamil Nadu Directorate of Medical Education and the MGR Medical University have let the college seek post facto ratification. Also, the college secured court orders to enable the students to appear for examinations. Even in 2000-01, when the Government stopped the admissions, the college took in 60 students (as lapsed seats) and again got court orders to ensure that they appeared for the examinations.

A strike began on February 13 this year. The students claim that at a meeting held at the Chennai Commissionerate on February 15, the management offered a compromise saying it would obtain recognition from the Centre for all students and registration of the degree with the DCI by February. 25. But once back in college, the management changed "registration" into "regularisation", that too to be done within one month. The students rejected the compromise.

Students, who have completed the degree course, say they are unable to obtain a registered degree and so cannot practise dentistry or apply for higher education.

When contacted, the College Chairman, A.C. Shanmugam, claimed that the college had secured DCI recognition from December 1995, the State Government approval to admit 60 students from 1996 as also university affiliation for the same number. The DCI and the Union Government had approved an intake of 60 for 2000-01 (but not for other years, as the Union Governments' record show). "We are now corresponding with these bodies to obtain approval for those who have completed the course to enable them get degree certificates," says the chairman.

Offering to help the students financially for launching legal proceedings to get appropriate relief, Mr. Shanmugam says the strike was motivated by politicians.

In November 2002, the DCI's secretary said the council could recommend to the Union Government to recognise the BDS degree awarded by the University in respect of students of this college on or after November 2001. The Union Health Ministry had also in December 2002 stated that the college had made irregular admissions from 1996 to 2001. This number had to be adjusted in the future years (from 2003-2004) to neutralize the violations done since 1996-97.

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