High Court upholds RGUHS ordinance governing CAP for MBBS theory paper assessment

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court recently upheld the ordinance issued by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) governing the Central Assessment Program (CAP) for theory paper assessment of MBBS course, which would be applied to the exams being conducted on or after February 1, 2021.

CAP refers to a 'general valuation' done by any two eligible internal examiners from affiliated institutes of RGUHS. Along with that, a 'Deviation Valuation' was also provided where the difference in an award of total marks between two examiners in the general valuation is 15% or more of the maximum marks prescribed for the paper. Under those situations, it would be referred to any other eligible three internal examiners for evaluation.

Two first year MBBS students had challenged the ordinance stating that it resulted in gross discrimination between the nature of evaluation, consideration of marks and also yardstick which is proposed to be adopted for ironing out the differences in evaluation. They claimed that they would have automatically passed as they were eligible under the Regulations of Graduate Medical Education, 1997 which provides a grace marks of up to five, reports the Times of India. They argued that it violated article 14 of the constitution.

Justice Sachin Shankar Magadum dismissed the petition, and stated that medical students are required to maintain high academic integrity. He said, "Medical students are placed on a higher pedestal because of their crucial role in the healthcare system. They have to work hard and earn their degree in a fair and honest way by putting in hours to study and completing assignments."

According to a media report in the Deccan Herald, the judge stated, "Then only the students can gain the good worth of medical education and would contribute a lot to the health care system of the society. Maintaining academic integrity while earning a medical degree represents true academic accomplishments. It is this credibility and work ethic which would take a medical doctor a long way at his workplace and at the end of the day it is the patient who would benefit. Therefore, medical students cannot insist on lowering the education standards."

He further stated that the ordinance notification was placed at a meeting of the committee of academic council on February 1, 2021, following which they approved it. Further, it was ratified by the Syndicate on February 21, 2021, said the court. It stated that the new policy of assessment of the answer scripts of undergraduate students is as per the Medical Council of India advisory.

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