Fears of a fresh standoff over medical and dental college enrollment looms large as the lawyers who filed the lawsuits are yet to withdraw them while the government is not starting the admission process.
After weeks of street protests, prospective medical and dental college students called off their agitation for cancellation of only GPA-based admission on Sunday when Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque assured them of considering traditional system if the lawsuits were dropped.
But students say lawyer Yunus Ali Akhanda who filed the petition does not pay heed to their request while Health Directorate officials tell bdnews24.com that they cannot advertise the admission test as long as the lawsuits are pending in the court.
Ashikur Rahman, one of the students who against the government move, says they have repeatedly requested lawyer Akhanda to withdraw the case. "Today (Wednesday) he said he will withdraw the petition on Sunday," Rahman said on Wednesday.
But the lawyer had a different story to tell bdnews24.com. "A third judge will hear my petition. But the government can start taking the examination since there is no stay order."
However, Acting Attorney General MK Rahman tells bdnews24.com that the government can start admission process as it was only a 'verbal' proposal and the court did not give stay order.
The Medical Education's Director of the Directorate General of Health Services Dr Shah Abdul Latif says they cannot do so in the absence of an official note from the Attorney General's office.
Aspiring medical students burst into protest on Aug 13 just a day after the Health Minister announced that GPAs in the SSC and HSC examinations would be the sole yardstick to ensure what he said 'quality' admissions in medical and dental colleges.
The dispute over the admission tests reached the High Court on Aug 14 when its ruling on the matter was sought.
Akhanda filed a supplementary appeal on Aug 27 requesting an order to hold the admission through traditional system, but it drew a split verdict.
Another lawyer Nazrul Islam also filed a petition on behalf of a guardian with the court against the government decision later. The lawyer says he cannot take any decision as he himself did not file the writ.
"But we are not proceeding with the petition. It will become invalid automatically."
Citing the Health Minister's claim 'it's not a decision, it's a proposal', Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, a former President of Bangladesh Medical Association, said: "So, they can start the process (admission test) right away."
He said students did not file the case and so the government cannot impose condition on them. "It's their (government's) duty to settle the lawsuits."
Dr M Mushtuq Husain, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chikitshak Sangsad, a forum of doctors, who earlier expressed solidarity with the protesting students, said students went back home and started studying again.
"The government can start the admission process now." He warned of further protests if the issues remained unsettled for long.
Altogether there are 8,493 seats in all medical and dental colleges in Bangladesh. The number is 2,811 in the 22 government medical colleges and 4,245 in the 53 private ones.
The nine public dental colleges and medical colleges' dental units have 567 seats while 14 private dental institutes have 870 seats.
After weeks of street protests, prospective medical and dental college students called off their agitation for cancellation of only GPA-based admission on Sunday when Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque assured them of considering traditional system if the lawsuits were dropped.
But students say lawyer Yunus Ali Akhanda who filed the petition does not pay heed to their request while Health Directorate officials tell bdnews24.com that they cannot advertise the admission test as long as the lawsuits are pending in the court.
Ashikur Rahman, one of the students who against the government move, says they have repeatedly requested lawyer Akhanda to withdraw the case. "Today (Wednesday) he said he will withdraw the petition on Sunday," Rahman said on Wednesday.
But the lawyer had a different story to tell bdnews24.com. "A third judge will hear my petition. But the government can start taking the examination since there is no stay order."
However, Acting Attorney General MK Rahman tells bdnews24.com that the government can start admission process as it was only a 'verbal' proposal and the court did not give stay order.
The Medical Education's Director of the Directorate General of Health Services Dr Shah Abdul Latif says they cannot do so in the absence of an official note from the Attorney General's office.
Aspiring medical students burst into protest on Aug 13 just a day after the Health Minister announced that GPAs in the SSC and HSC examinations would be the sole yardstick to ensure what he said 'quality' admissions in medical and dental colleges.
The dispute over the admission tests reached the High Court on Aug 14 when its ruling on the matter was sought.
Akhanda filed a supplementary appeal on Aug 27 requesting an order to hold the admission through traditional system, but it drew a split verdict.
Another lawyer Nazrul Islam also filed a petition on behalf of a guardian with the court against the government decision later. The lawyer says he cannot take any decision as he himself did not file the writ.
"But we are not proceeding with the petition. It will become invalid automatically."
Citing the Health Minister's claim 'it's not a decision, it's a proposal', Prof Rashid-E-Mahbub, a former President of Bangladesh Medical Association, said: "So, they can start the process (admission test) right away."
He said students did not file the case and so the government cannot impose condition on them. "It's their (government's) duty to settle the lawsuits."
Dr M Mushtuq Husain, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Chikitshak Sangsad, a forum of doctors, who earlier expressed solidarity with the protesting students, said students went back home and started studying again.
"The government can start the admission process now." He warned of further protests if the issues remained unsettled for long.
Altogether there are 8,493 seats in all medical and dental colleges in Bangladesh. The number is 2,811 in the 22 government medical colleges and 4,245 in the 53 private ones.
The nine public dental colleges and medical colleges' dental units have 567 seats while 14 private dental institutes have 870 seats.
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