The quota for grandchildren of freedom fighters in medical and dental college admissions has been canceled for the 2024-25 academic year. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced the new "Admission Policy-2025" for MBBS and BDS courses on Monday.
Under this revised policy, 5% of seats in medical and dental colleges will now be reserved solely for freedom fighters, martyrs, and Birangona women.
This marks a significant change from the previous year’s policy, where 2% of seats were allocated for both the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters. In both policies, unfilled quota seats would be distributed to candidates from the general merit list.
Additionally, the new policy has adjusted the weightage of GPA scores from SSC and HSC exams. Previously, 200 marks were allotted for GPA; this has now been reduced to 100 marks. The merit list for candidates will be prepared by combining 10 times the GPA from both SSC and HSC exams with the marks scored in the written admission test.
For candidates who passed the HSC exam in the previous year, the policy specifies a deduction of 3 marks from their total score to determine their ranking in the merit list. Students admitted to government medical or dental colleges in the previous year will face a deduction of 6 marks from their total score.
This updated policy emphasizes merit-based admission. The Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) published the detailed guidelines, which aim to streamline and enhance fairness in the selection process for medical and dental college admissions.
The adjustments have sparked discussions among stakeholders, with many highlighting the shift away from generational quotas while focusing on merit as the primary determinant for admission.
