Indian students who returned from Ukraine are protesting.
New Delhi:
In a blow to thousands of undergraduate medical Indian students, who were studying in Ukraine but had to return to the country in the wake of the war with Russia, the Center on Thursday told the Supreme Court that they cannot be accommodated in medical colleges here. provisions under the law.
In an affidavit, the Center said that as of now, no permission has been given by the National Medical Commission (NMC) to transfer or accommodate any foreign medical students in any Indian medical institution/university.
The government filed its response in a batch of petitions filed by students who are medical students of the first to fourth year batch in their respective foreign medical colleges/universities, mainly for transfer to medical colleges in India in their respective semesters. are demanding.
“It is humbly submitted that in so far as such students are concerned, the Medical Council of India Act, 1956 or the National Medical Commission Act, 2019 as well as to accommodate or transfer medical students from any institution There are no provisions. From foreign medical institutions/colleges to Indian medical colleges”, the government said.
However, it is stated that in order to assist and assist such returning students who could not complete their MBBS course in Ukraine, the NMC in consultation with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has issued a public notice dated 6th September, 2022, indicating that NMCs accept to complete their remaining courses in other countries (with the approval of the parent university/institute in Ukraine).
The government said that after such completion of their remaining courses, certificates, of course, completion/degrees are expected to be issued by parent institutions in Ukraine.
It cited students’ allegations that even though the September 6 public notice does not object to the academic mobility programme, which is the temporary transfer of affected foreign students to various foreign countries globally, it is not clear whether Indian universities should Also included in the scope of “Universities of different countries globally”.
The government said that these students claimed that when they tried to apply under the Academic Mobility Program to their respective Ukrainian medical universities, such universities had rejected their applications for academic mobility in their first semester of the academic year 2022-23. refused to consider.
“It is humbly submitted that the above affidavit (of the student) is wholly frivolous and misleading. It is submitted that in so far as the above academic mobility program is concerned, it is offered only to those students who were not able to continue their education due to the war-like situation in Ukraine”, the center said.
It said that in the September 6 public notice, the phrase “global mobility” cannot be used to refer to the accommodation of these students in Indian colleges/universities, as the existing rules in India restrict the migration of students to India from foreign universities. do not allow.
“The above public information cannot be used as a back door entry in Indian colleges/universities offering UG courses”, it said.
The government said that most of the aggrieved students/petitioners had gone abroad for two reasons-first because of poor merit in NEET exam and second, the affordability of medical education in such foreign countries.
“It is humbly submitted that if (a) these students with poor merit are allowed admission in premier medical colleges of India by default, there may be several litigations from the aspiring candidates who have been given seats in these colleges. and they have taken admission in these colleges. They are either lesser known colleges or deprived of seats in medical colleges”, the government said.
It further states that in terms of affordability, if these candidates are allotted private medical colleges in India, they may once again not be able to afford the fee structure of the institutions concerned.
“It is humbly submitted that the Government of India in consultation with the apex medical education regulatory body in the country NMC has taken the aforesaid proactive measures balancing the need to maintain the required standards to assist the students returning from Ukraine in the country. medical education”, it said.
The government said any further relaxation, including praying for transfer of these returnee students to medical colleges in India, would not only violate the provisions of the Indian Medical Council Act, 1956 and the National Medical Commission Act 2019, but also the rules. It is built under, but will also severely disrupt the standards of medical education in the country.
A bench headed by Justice Hemant Gupta will hear the matter on Friday, after the Centre’s counsel submitted that they have filed affidavits in the batch of petitions.
The students have relied on the August 3 report of the Lok Sabha Committee on External Affairs, by which it had recommended to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to accommodate these students in Indian colleges/universities as a one-time measure.
The top court had earlier asked the Center to take on record its policy or stand on the residence of these medical students.