Chennai: Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University has suspended faculty in four departments of Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital in Chennai from a panel of examiners after a man complained that his daughter failed in one of the clinical papers in her final year as she did not pay Rs 10,000 demanded from students.
Also, the Tamilnadu government has asked the varsity to conduct an impartial probe into the alleged unauthorised collection of at least Rs 22 lakh from final-year MBBS students in the name of conducting practical exams.
In her report to the Health Secretary, Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University vice-chancellor Dr Sudha Seshayyan said, “Screenshots of messages enclosed by the parent of the said candidate indicate that such collection is regularly being made ‘to show gratefulness to departments’ and to arrange accommodation and food for the external examiners.”
The report added that due to the pandemic, exams were conducted online, so the question of accommodation in Chennai for external examiners would not have arisen.
Pending clearance from the Examination Disciplinary Committee, the names of the internal examiners, from the departments of Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Paediatrics, have been temporarily removed from the university’s Panel of Examiners, the report said.
In his complaint, the parent said final year students received messages demanding Rs 10,000 each ‘to arrange accommodation and food’ for external examiners and ‘to show gratefulness to the department’ as per ‘regular practice’. His daughter who did not pay the money failed the test held in May by 7 marks.