Two opposition parties want the government to explain its decision to impose condition recognition of the degree awarded by the Melaka-Manipal Medical Institute.

Keadilan and Parti Rakyat Malaysia are demanding to know the "academic and professional basis" for introducing an exit examination - a new condition imposed by the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) on June 10.

Referring to the dilemma of the affected graduates, the two party presidents Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail and Dr Syed Husin Ali said they feared that students in other colleges could face a similar problem.

"Has the council found anything wrong or (which is) not up to the mark? Be that as it may, we call upon the council and the ministry to immediately explain its decision," they said in a joint statement.

The MMC has reportedly said it would recognise the Malacca institute's degree for a year provided that the final-year students pass the exit examination before they can do their housemanship.

Condition 'unwarranted'

The opposition leaders said they could see no reason for such a condition, since the Malacca institute had a twinning programme with the well known Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, India.

"Many Malaysians have graduated from the Manipal college under private or government sponsorship and they have faced no difficulty in getting recognition for employment here," they said.

(The college website claims to have produced more than 2,600 Malaysian doctors, 30 person of whom are registered with the MMC.)

Wan Azizah and Syed Husin further pointed out that parents would have utilised all their savings or sold their property to get their children admitted into the Malacca college.

"So, the plight of their children should be viewed in the most understanding and humanitarian manner. This does not mean that compliance with set standards should be overlooked," they added.

They called on the government to furnish details of the examination syllabus and the number of attempts allowed before graduates can pass.

"Does this (additional) year (or more) mean unemployment for the graduates? And do they have to pay additional fees for this course(s)?"

They also wanted to know what other opportunities or alternatives would be open to the graduates if they fail the exit examination even after several attempts.

"This is one of the consequences of the growing tendency to allow for education (especially private university education) to be a tool serving political and commercial interests," they claimed.

'Check on colleges'

The two leaders said the mushrooming of private colleges was due to easily available licences and lax enforcement.

"There is not enough follow-up work to monitor the courses, staff qualifications, adequacy of equipment and whether or not standards are met and maintained," their statement said.

"The Education Ministry, the MMC and other appropriate bodies must look into these matters seriously so that parents and students do not become victims of what may essentially be the result of neglect."

According to The Star today, the new condition has placed about 1,200 students at the Malacca institute in a dilemma.

It quoted MIC president and Works Minister S Samy Vellu as saying on Monday that the institute had given him its side of the story for discussion at the weekly cabinet meeting today.

According to the report, Samy said the college was set up by former MIC vice-president, the late K Pathmanaban, with approval from the authorities, and chided the MMC for shifting the goalposts.

The daily also quoted Melaka-Manipal Medical Institute managing director Dr Ranjan Pai as saying that the National Accreditation Board had visited the campus in Bukit Baru, Malacca.

He said the board had also visited the Manipal institute earlier this year before meeting with the MMC last month.

When contacted today, a spokesperson at the Malacca institute said they only received verbal notification of the new condition, but nothing in writing from the MMC or the ministry.

"We are still waiting for their letter... hopefully by tomorrow, since we have been assured that the matter will be resolved as soon as possible."

A MMC official, when contacted for elaboration, said the matter had been communicated to the institute, but declined to reveal more because it was "confidential information".

He said only the director-general of health is authorised to release the details.

PM's directive

Meanwhile Bernama reported that Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has directed the Health Ministry to resolve the problems faced by the MMC students.

The national news agency quoted Samy Vellu as saying that the premier had asked Health Minister Chua Jui Meng during the cabinet meeting today to look into the matter as soon as possible.

"The prime minister directed Datuk Chua to resolve the issue amicably," said Samy Vellu, who had earlier given a briefing to the cabinet on the matter.