Students had a lot of queries concerning the matching method, seat distribution, fees, and other relevant issues after the MECEE results were announced. Edusanjal meets with Prof. Dr. Shrikrishna Giri, Vice Chairperson of the Medical Education Commission (MEC), for a brief session, in an attempt to clear up these ambiguities.
Has the online matching process started?
The process of matching has not yet begun. Following the announcement of the results, the Medical Education Commission (MEC) is accepting re-totaling applications as well as other concerns until the 28th of Shrawan. MEC has received more than 2000 such applications, and the commission is currently sorting them out, which might take a few days. The commission will commence the matching process as soon as re-totaling and other issues are addressed.
The number of passed students in 6 subjects this time is less than the overall number of seats available. In this regard, the students have demanded re-examination. How does MEC plan to address this and Is it true that the re-examination is likely to be conducted?
The number of passed students outnumbers the total number of seats available in the MBBS and BDS programs. 4200 students completed MBBS with just 1800 seats available, while 1700 students passed BDS with only 550 seats available. However, the number of students passing nursing, pharmacy, laboratory, public health and other disciplines is less than the total number of seats available.
The recently held CEE was actually from the prior year, as it was pushed back by the pandemic. The schedule has been disrupted, and MEC is working to restore normalcy. As a result, the commission will not be conducting a re-examination. On the other hand, MEC is constantly monitoring the Grade 12 schedule and will hold the Medical Entrance Exam for this year as soon as the Grade 12 results are announced.
Will a situation emerge in which students who rank higher on the merit list pay for the program, while students who rank lower on the merit list are allowed to study on a scholarship?
The open category and the scholarship category each have their own set of rules. For the scholarship category, government institutions have set aside 75% of the total seats. Again, 55 percent of these scholarships will be awarded solely based on merit, with the remaining 45 percent based on reservation.
As a result, students who rank higher on the merit list in their category will be considered eligible for the program. It's unlikely for a student with a lower merit score to beat a higher score. As a result, students must rank higher in their category, whether open or reserved, to be considered qualified for the program.
If anyone can book online counseling, isn't there a risk that bright students won't be able to get into their selected institutions? What exactly is the procedure here?
The first matching procedure allows students with higher scores to choose from 25 different institutions. However, some seats will remain vacant after the first matching process, and the second matching procedure will fill those seats in the institutions.
Can a student who receives a scholarship for paramedical education this year take the CEE exam for MBBS/BDS entrance the following year? Will he be able to earn a scholarship for a different subject next year?
A student who is enrolled in a program under the terms of a scholarship cannot drop out. If s/he wishes to leave the program, s/he must first pay the entire program fee and will be barred from taking any examinations for the next few years.
Would it be fair to say that the entrance examination was quite tough, given that the number of students who have passed is significantly less than the total number of students that applied?
It's possible that the questions were of a high standard. However, the questions are not asked outside of the prescribed curriculum. Each program was assigned its curriculum to prepare for, and specialists devised questions based on the same.
A student who has qualified for more than one program will choose one at the end. How will this issue be resolved?
The commission will publish a pre-nomination merit list, which will allow students to pick which programs they wish to pursue. If a student selects a program and an institution first but later decides to withdraw, the student will be penalized and will be removed from the merit list entirely.
In comparison to previous years, the number of international applicants is much less this year. How has the commission assessed this situation?
Given the unfortunate circumstances, the commission believes that the number of international applicants is quite adequate. The commission presented two possibilities. The first was a situation in which students exclusively attended CEE in Nepal. The second situation was where students who have passed the entrance exams in their home countries could apply for admission. The number of foreign seats has been raised in the hopes of making Nepal a popular destination for international medical students.
Will seats designated for foreign nationals be made available to Nepalese students should they remain vacant?
The unfilled seats of the foreign nationals category will be transferred to the open category of Nepalese students.
What is the total cost of the programs for foreign nationals?
The cost that foreign nationals would have to pay for each program will be 1.6 times greater than Nepalese students' fees.
Will the Medical Education Commission determine and regulate the fees for medical education?
No medical institution can charge a higher fee than the commission has set. Rather than going to the medical institution, students should go to the university of their choosing and pay one-third of the cost. Following the completion of the enrollment procedure, the university sends the students, together with the money, to the relevant medical facility.
Since students are not required to interact with medical schools until they are enrolled, incidents of misappropriated money have been erased.
In the case of students, who wish to pursue their degree abroad, are there any particular procedures they need to follow first?
The CEE is not just for admission inside Nepal. If students wish to apply for scholarships or pursue medical programs in other countries, they must pass this entrance exam. Students who have neither attended nor completed the CEE in Nepal are disqualified from applying abroad by default. The government must provide an eligibility certificate as well as a no objection certificate for medical study abroad.
Finally, in response to the numerous questions and resulting misunderstandings, the commission will shortly publish a manual on the Medical Education Commission's website that will explain the matching procedure, allotted seats, and other relevant issues in detail.
