With the new Education Regulations in place that requires all to abide by the merit list there will be no outside manipulation

As per the recommendation of the high-level task force led by former VC of Tribhuvan University Kedar Bhakta Mathema the regulations regarding scholarships in various subjects of health education has been amended, and it has been decided to form a Health Profession Education Commission with the prime minister as chairperson to go for a one-door system that would be conducting the entrance examinations. Every year over 15,000 students who aspire to study MBBS appear in the highly competitive entrance exams. With the amendment regarding scholarships in medical education as per the Mathema report, it has been decided by the Ministry of Education to abide strictly by the merit list of the Institution of Medicine (IoM) under TU. This would in a large measure do away with the aberrations that presently exist while granting scholarships to study medicine and related subjects not only in the country but abroad. Many medical students are studying in countries like India, China and Bangladesh, among others, with scholarships. It would be fair to provide only the deserving candidates who top the merit list to be awarded scholarships to study medicine. In this regard, the Education Regulations relating to scholarship that has been amended and all institutes are required to provide 10 per cent of their students with scholarships.

Entrance exams to study medicine which used to be conducted by the Ministry of Education (MoE) from now will be held by the IoM. By adhering to the merit list the toppers in the entrance exams would be eligible to apply for the scholarships by submitting the necessary documents. This amendment is considered appropriate for it not only saves times and money, but so far the students had to sit for two examinations which were much of a bother. The entrance exams were held by both the IoM and MoE in previous years. This change in the Education Regulations would hopefully do away with the anomalies seen so far and this decision was taken by holding due consultations with another related government body, the Ministry of Health and Population. There are as many as 23 medical and dental colleges in the country which teaches 1,981 MBBS students and 530 Bachelor of Dental Science students every year.

It is acknowledged that the universities are autonomous bodies which can choose the students as per their needs. However, the medical colleges affiliated to TU have to provide scholarships to those meritorious students selected by the MoE. Those medical colleges have to follow the merit list of the IoM that would be good for medical education. No doubt, most students are not capable of financing their studies on their own and they are often deprived of the opportunity to study although they may be competent and qualified. Hopefully, with the new Education Regulations in place that requires all concerned to abide by the merit list there will be no outside manipulation and only the most deserving candidates are provided with the opportunity to study medicine and also with scholarships in Nepal and abroad.

Give them the best

Children, who should be given all the protection and care possible, are misused for fulfilling the objectives of various people or groups. In other words, children continue to be abused by all categories of people, including political outfits. Whereas children bear the brunt of bandhs and strikes, they are also used, though illegally and unethically and inhumanely, by political groups to swell the sizes of their rallies and demonstrations, and to throw stones at public and private property and or to indulge in other activities like arson. Being sent to insecure areas puts them at high risk of injury or death.

The appeal to all concerned made on Sunday by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to avoid using children in bandhs, strikes and protests is well directed, though a bit late, after weeks have passed since protests started erupting in several parts of the country, including some hilly areas, and in the Tarai where Madhes-centric parties are still using children in their mostly violent protests. Anup Raj Sharma, the NHRC chief, said that the use of children in protests goes against internationally accepted principles. No matter who may be thus exploiting children, strong voices should be raised.