NMC Relief: Displaced MBBS Students in Manipur Allowed to avail Online classes, Study via Hybrid Mode

New Delhi: Offering an exceptional relief, the Undergraduate Medical Education Board (UGMEB) of the National Medical Commission (NMC) has allowed displaced medical students in Manipur to continue their studies online or through the hybrid bode.

Students belonging to institutes including RIMS, JNIMS, CMC, and SHIJA Medical College have been granted permission by the Apex Medical Commission to have online classes and /or on hybrid mode at Churachandpur Medical College (CMC), Manipur.

Apart from this, the Commission has also allowed such students to appear for examination in Churachandpur medical College. It has directed to address issues like deficiency in attendance and internal assessment through special classes. Further, the State Government authorities have been directed to arrange for utilising displaced faculties at the concerned medical college. They have also been asked to make sure that the displaced students complete clerkship or practical at various district hospitals.

In respect of examinations, internal examiners have been allowed to conduct tests online. However, the University or State will have to arrange for external examiners from outside the State to conduct the exams offline.

However, the Commission clarified that this arrangement is temporary and that it shall remain applicable for one year or till the situation becomes normal, whichever is earlier. The Commission has also clarified that this permission has been granted in a specific situation and it should not be taken as a precedent.

Also Read: Violence in Manipur: Churachandpur Medical College Students to Attend Classes at JNIMS Imphal

These alternative arrangements have been offered by the Apex Medical Commission after the NMC officials, on the basis of the directions from the Union Health Ministry, visited Imphal, Manipur, and had a detailed discussion with the authorities.

Writing to the Commissioner-cum-Secretary of Manipur Health and Family Welfare Department in this regard, the UG Board of NMC mentioned, "I am directed to refer to the directions issued by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi, various representations from VVIPs and meetings with Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of Manipur and other stakeholders. Today, i.e. on 29.11.2023, President UGMEB, Member UGMEB and Director UGMEB visited Imphal, Manipur and had a detailed discussion with State authorities, Deans of all four medical colleges situated in Manipur to assess the situation and find a reasonable solution arising due to law and order problems."

The situation in Manipur has arisen as an after-effect of ethnic violence. Earlier this year, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur and hundreds of students, government employees, and other people hailing from seven northeastern and other states across the country were rescued by their respective state government authorities.

Earlier this year, considering the devastating violence in Manipur, the administrative authorities decided that the offline classes for the first-year MBBS students of Churachandpur Medical College would be conducted both at the medical institute along with Imphal-based Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS). The college authorities announced this decision after NMC allowed offline classes for the 1st year MBBS students of the medical college to be conducted at JLIMS Imphal, along with the medical college campus at Churachandpur.

However, the problems faced by these displaced medical students continued. A group of students, consisting of 27 individuals displaced by ethnic riots and six non-displaced students recently took to the streets protesting against debarment from first-year examinations and rallied against what they deemed an unjust exclusion from the crucial examinations.

Following this, the NMC granted respite to these students by authorizing Manipur University to conduct exams for these students anywhere within the state. In their memorandum addressed to the Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey, and submitted through the Churachandpur Additional Deputy Commissioner Thangboi Gangte, these students said that they filled up their examination forms and deposited their due examination fees and maintained other formalities in due course of time. They said they were informed that their admit cards and other examination materials were sent only to six MBBS students and the rest of the displaced students were excluded.

The members of the NMC UG Board visited Manipur on November 29, 2023 and had a detailed discussion in this regard with the State authorities, Deans of RIMS< JNIMS, CMC and SHIJA Medical College situated in Manipur to assess the situation and find a reasonable solution arising due to law and order problems.

After detailed discussion, the Apex Medical Commission offered alternative arrangement for the displaced medical students and directed the following:

(i) All displaced students from RIMS, JNIMS, CMC and SHIJA Medical College to be allowed to have online classes and /or on hybrid mode at Churachandpur Medical College (CMC), Manipur,

(ii) Examination for all such displaced students also to be arranged in that Medical College only. Deficiency in attendance and Internal Assessment to be arranged through special classes.

(iii) State Authority may also make an arrangement for utilisation of displaced faculties at Churachandpur Medical College.

(iv) State Authorities must ensure the completion of clerkship / practical at various district hospitals for these displaced students.

(v) External Examiners for conducting examination to be arranged by the University or the State Authorities from outside Manipur as deemed fit for conducting examinations physically, i.e. offline. Internal examiners may be conducting assessment online.

However, NMC clarified that the "Present arrangement is temporary in nature to resolve the crisis and this is not at all a transfer / migration as there is no provision of transfer / migration in Regulations."

Further setting a time-limit for the validity of such relief, NMC added, "Above permission has been granted after taking into account the Extraordinary Situation in Manipur and shall be applicable for a period of one year or till the situation becomes normal, whichever is earlier."

"Permission so granted is specific to a specific situation and MAY NOT be taken as precedent at all," it added.

To view the NMC notification, click on the link below:

https://medicaldialogues.in/pdf_upload/displaced-students-of-manipur-226566.pdf

Also Read: NMC breather to displaced MBBS students, allows Manipur University to conduct exams