650 students may miss MBBS course: Delay in Cuban nod
By Marium Kiani
ISLAMABAD, May 9: As many as 650 medical students have been waiting for
the last eight months to be sent to Cuba for a scholarship programme
that was offered by the Cuban government last year, Dawn has learnt.
According to details, 1,000 medical students were selected from across
the country for this scholarship last year. Out of which 350 were sent
to Cuba. However, the remaining students had been waiting for their
departure.
The delay in departure has raised concerns of students as they were
waiting for quite a long period and had not taken admission elsewhere.
"I still remember the day I got the provisional award for this
scholarship in July 2007 since then not only me but hundreds of students
have been waiting for their departure to Cuba for the initiation of MBBS
programme," an aggrieved student asking not to be named told this scribe.
"If we were sent in time we would have completed one semester the delay
in departure is wasting our time," she added.
The selected students had not taken admission elsewhere, as refusing
this scholarship would cost them a fine of Rs130,000. However, prolonged
delay was wasting their precious time.
An orientation session for the remaining students was held on March 20,
2008 at Higher Education Commission (HEC) in collaboration with the
Cuban Embassy.
The purpose of the event was to inform the students about different
aspects of the scholarship programmes, the education system in Cuba and
matters related to living and managing in a foreign environment. Similar
orientation session had also been organised by the HEC at Karachi and
Lahore.
A source in the HEC seeking anonymity told this scribe that the students
sent to Cuba were facing various problems including a scheme of studies
different from international curriculum, financial hardships (stipend
promised by HEC was not given to them), and cultural diversity due to
which female students were facing severe problems.
Unaware of the problems being faced by the students already there in
Cuba, the remaining students were anxiously waiting for their turn and
were eager to get intimation from the HEC. Yet, no intimation related to
time of departure has been given to the students.
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