Original report from Phnom Penh
28 November 2008
Prospective students for Phnom Penh’s University of Medicine undertook a third day of demonstrations Friday, angered that a high number of them had failed and swearing to continue protests until they are admitted.
Around 400 would-be medical students have been protesting since Wednesday, with less than 400 out of 1,800 test-takers able to meet the 50 percent minimum score.
Health Minister Mam Bunheng said Friday Cambodia needs “qualified doctors and nurses” and the National Committee of Examinations had judged correctly in admitting only the 369 who passed their entrance exams.
“If you are not qualified enough as a medical student, you cannot be a physician,” he said at a press conference Friday. “For example, if you are operating on someone and cut the wrong artery, and you cut the artery that bleeds a lot, the patient will quickly die.”
Officials from the ministries of Health and Education, the National Committee of Examinations, and several cabinet ministers met with five student representatives and the Independent Teacher’s Association Thursday night to resolve the problem.
At that meeting, officials decided to reduce the entrance score from 50 percent to 25 percent, which would allow an additional 507 students to join the university, filling a total 876 slots.
Even with the entrance score lowered to 25 percent, some students remained dissatisfied.
Students said the university had earlier announced that 1,481 slots would be open and they would continue to demonstrate every day until that many slots were filled.
Of the 936 students who scored below 25 percent on their entrance exams, 605 more need to be admitted to satisfy the demonstrators.
Around 400 would-be medical students have been protesting since Wednesday, with less than 400 out of 1,800 test-takers able to meet the 50 percent minimum score.
Health Minister Mam Bunheng said Friday Cambodia needs “qualified doctors and nurses” and the National Committee of Examinations had judged correctly in admitting only the 369 who passed their entrance exams.
“If you are not qualified enough as a medical student, you cannot be a physician,” he said at a press conference Friday. “For example, if you are operating on someone and cut the wrong artery, and you cut the artery that bleeds a lot, the patient will quickly die.”
Officials from the ministries of Health and Education, the National Committee of Examinations, and several cabinet ministers met with five student representatives and the Independent Teacher’s Association Thursday night to resolve the problem.
At that meeting, officials decided to reduce the entrance score from 50 percent to 25 percent, which would allow an additional 507 students to join the university, filling a total 876 slots.
Even with the entrance score lowered to 25 percent, some students remained dissatisfied.
Students said the university had earlier announced that 1,481 slots would be open and they would continue to demonstrate every day until that many slots were filled.
Of the 936 students who scored below 25 percent on their entrance exams, 605 more need to be admitted to satisfy the demonstrators.
18 comments:
They are so used to paying bribes they dont study anymore.
Those who did not get accepted did not pay enough or are not well connected as those who got accepted come from affluent families with ties to important cpp members or children are high ranking cpp themselves.
why did they accept more? because they do not want to return the bribes and pressure from those cpp families whose children failed the entrance examination.
The quality of cambodian doctors is terrible. Those who get a degree from any institution normally paid big bribes and have powerful connections.
Those who have money , run to thailand, vietnam, malaysia or singapore for medical assistance.
The not too wealthy or not too well connected have to be treated by these "home educated " doctors who bought their diplomas.
maybe they required a higher standard for medical school because after all people in the healthcare professions are expect to take good care of lives, people's lives are depending on them to uphold professional ethics. thank you.
វិគីភីឌាខ្មែរ មានបញ្ហា ព្រោះឈ្មោះ កៀនស្វាយ (ឈ្មោះពិត តឹក ប៊ុនលី) គឹម ស្រ៊ុន បានលុបបំផ្លាញយ៉ាងសន្ធឹក អត្ថបទគេឯងគ្រប់គ្នា លើវិគីភីឌាខ្មែរ សូមនាំគ្នាចុះឈ្មោះ ចូលជាអ្នកអភិបាល ដើម្បីអភិវឌ្ឍវិគីភីឌាខ្មែរ !
I've seen how the students study in Cambodia. They don't stay up til 1-3am like students in the US. They like to drink and party in Cambodia, and hang out with friends and their moto riding. That's what they are good for. That's why they don't pass exams.
What are these students protesting about ? Wake up youngsters!
This is a medical school, not a meditation school. Only the hard working and qualified students are admitted.
5:49AM – you’re right, most of these students in Cambodia do not study hard like their compatriots in US, Canada, France, Australia, …etc, who studied days and nights to compete among other nationals before being admitted to high learning institutions. These students who are protesting in Cambodia should take a trip to Hong Kong or Singapor to find out how hard students in other countries study.
These students should have studied harder. I know a rich man in Cambodia whose son is a doctor. But when he is sick he won't allow his son to treat him. Why? Because the son always asked for money to bribe in order to pass the exams. Who should be blamed for this?
Even though i am not really a big fan of HunSen Gov, i think 25 or even 50% of total score should not allow to get into the medical school. It is a matter of life and death to human life. If you are not well qualified, why would you try to do something that you are not good at.
Who are the one who suffer the most, the people who can't afford medical care outside the country
The medical school in Cambodia should start using MCAT tests to screen out incompetent candidates.
With MCAT tests you also avoid corruptions.
If you don't have what it takes to be a doctor, go and do something else.
A Concerned Khmer
Are these students retarded? If you can't pass the test, move on, idiot. We only want the very best here. This is a medical position where life and death depends on a shrewd, intelligent doctor; not some lame ass wannabes.
You're all right in Cambodia you don't need to learn or study hard to graduate. All students with parents connection and money can get diplomas or PhD. But with those useless diplomas and PhD are only the skill to internationally beg to personally generate wealth and corruption among cpp mafia clan.
Well said, 12:12!
300 medical students is still to many, 100 is enough.
Please not 100 assholes who pay their way through.
They should do the same in other fields in University.
Once they get their diplomas their only objective is to make money with high fees. They dont care about their patients.
NO MONEY NO MEDICAL TREATMENT
The really wealthy kids are sent abroad to study. It's those middle class students that bribe the teachers. Also it's not fair to say that all of these students cheat their way or bribe their teachers. There are some that truly earn their degree.
Those who really study hard to earn their degrees should be proud of their achievment. Our comments are only directed to those who just want to cheat their way to get a degree.
this is absolutely ridiculous. becoming a doctor is a hard thing to do. it was unintelligent of the university to promise 1400 students to be let in, but to let people in that get only 25% in an entrance exam? that is incredibly irresponsible and will cost the lives of numerous future patients. this is indirect murder.
you cannot expect to not study, fail an exam, and still be let in. this is a competitive world and you'll have to try hard to succeed. demanding an easy path won't get you anywhere. if you study hard you won't need any bribes and actually better yourself and your country. gain some self-respect. grow up, you are failing yourself and everyone around you.
to all these immoral students: earn your degree by working hard or go do something where, at the very least, you won't harm other people.
this should be a wake-up call to the education ministry to completely rethink Cambodia's education system. i have seen Cambodian schools, they are a mess of unmotivated students that antagonize the students that actually want to try.
without proper education Cambodia will never move forward. but oh wait. the government already knows that. and they don't care about it as long as they get money. you are betraying your own country. traitors and murderers. that is what you are. i hope you can sleep well at night with all the money you are making by killing people.
I can't believe that it happened.
50% for medical school exam? I would've got in by drooling on the paper pretty much. More yet acceptance dropped to 25% but not even half of them got accepted? this is a joke.
It seems like the majority of candidates sorely want the medical degree for $ rather than to save lives. They don't deserve it.
I am one of the first 369 who passed. For me, the school should not raise more than 100 to passed entrance exam. For others, they are not good enough to study the medical. They even dont know how to called the fingers in medical terms. So why does school allowed them to study. They dont study at all but they do demonstration. Some are good but Most are bad. How about the doctor quality?
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