Counselling to finish by September end: Officials
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Aug 18: The process of allocating seats for students who are set to pursue MBBS degrees has been completed, marking a significant step towards establishing academic activities at the newly set up Government Medical Colleges (GMC) in Handwara, Kashmir, and Udhampur, Jammu division.
The announcement was made by officials of the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE), who disclosed that both newly formed medical colleges would welcome their inaugural batches, each comprising 85 students.
Firdous Giri, Secretary of BOPEE, informed Excelsior that the seat allocation process had been finalized, and students were preparing to embark on their educational journeys at the newly established medical colleges, with admissions now complete.
Dr Mrityunjay Gupta, Principal of GMC Udhampur, provided insights to Excelsior into the allocation process and detailed the progress made in this regard. He stated, “Out of the total allotted seats for GMC Udhampur, 79 students have already secured their admissions so far. The remaining students are expected to be admitted during subsequent rounds of counselling.”
Dr Gupta highlighted that while current operations were being carried out in temporary facilities, significant strides had been made to ensure an optimal learning environment. “Laboratory facilities have been prepared, and the lecture halls will also be made accessible to students shortly, offering an enhanced educational experience,” he said.
The management of both GMC Handwara and Udhampur expressed their commitment to commencing classes on September 1, following the guidelines set by the National Medical Commission (NMC). Authorities also assured that all necessary arrangements, including facilities and resources for teaching, would remain available to the students.
Dr. Yashpal Sharma, Director Coordination for New GMCs, noted that classes would begin on September 1 and highlighted that counselling would continue until September 30. “A total of 100 seats have been approved for each GMC; currently, two rounds of counselling have taken place, and over 80 seats have been filled in both colleges,” he said.
It was further informed that third round of counseling is scheduled from September 7-18 and another from September 21-25. Any remaining vacancies, as per officials, will be filled during these rounds, culminating the counselling process by the end of September.
He further explained that the faculty in both colleges is in place, and classes will be held in makeshift premises. “In Handwara, we have rented a private space from where classes will operate. Construction work is ongoing in both places, and we aim to have the buildings ready by the time the current batch reaches its second year.”
It’s noteworthy that in terms of staffing, the Health & Medical Education (H&ME) Department has already deployed faculty to both medical colleges as per the recommendations of the selection committee. Additionally, under the centrally sponsored scheme, a substantial allocation of over Rs 300 crore has been designated for construction purposes, further contributing to the development of the medical colleges.
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