Pvt dental colleges for common entrance test

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 22

The authorities of four private dental colleges in the state today requested the Director Medical Education (DME) to allow them to conduct a common entrance exam for filling seats under the management quota. About half of the seats are filled under the management quota in these colleges.

Earlier, these were filled on the basis of Class XII marks, but the Dental Council of India (DCI) made it mandatory for the colleges to fill the seats on the basis of merit through a common entrance test from this academic session.

There are 240 seats in the colleges located at Sundernagar, Paonta Sahib, Solan and Baddi. About 50 per cent of the seats are filled on the basis of pre-medical entrance test conducted by the government while the remaining are allotted by the college managements on the basis of Class XII marks.

Ranjan Katyal, principal, Dental College, Solan, said the Private Dental Colleges Association had given a representation to the DME to allow them to fill the management seats through a common entrance exam.

Chairman of another private college said the move would improve the quality of education. The private dental colleges abide by norms set by the DCI while filling the seats. It was learnt that a private medical college in Solan had failed to comply with the state government’s directions on the issue. Since the all-India PMT has been delayed, admission to various medical colleges, including the dental colleges, will be started only after August 17. The process is supposed to be completed before September 30.