Karnataka: NO merit quota in deemed universities in Dentistry, aspirants cry foul

Bengaluru: Dental aspirants and their parents are woeful about non-availability of government quota seats in deemed universities for Dentistry. Their grouse simply states that if MBBS students are catered with government quotas in deemed universities, why is there discrimination made against them?

A dentist and mother of an aspiring dental student said, "If the state medical education department has provided a certain number of medical seats in deemed university under government merit quota, why couldn't they do the same for dental seats as well? It is not a students' fault that they choose dental course."

The Centre's Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS),decision to bring all dental seats in deemed universities under the all India Quota has led to local students being deprived of a seat in these colleges under government merit quota, said a parent.

AB Shetty Institute of Dental Sciences,College of Dental Surgery, Yenapoya Dental College, College of Dental Surgery, Manipal, College of Dental Surgery, Mangalore, Siddhartha Institute of Dental Science, Tumkur, JSS Institution, Mysore and KLEVK Institute of Dental Sciences, Belagavi are the list of institutes that fall under deemed university category in the state.

"Why should the authorities create such discrimination between medical and dental students and offer only the former with seats under government merit quota?" said another dentist and father of a dental aspirant.

S Sachidananda, Director, Medical Education Department told TOI, "In case of medical seats we have made an arrangement and managed to get 25% of the increased seats - the unused and extra ones from each of the colleges under deemed universities and use them under government merit quota. However, when it comes to dental seats in state deemed universities, the entire procedure is being handled by the centre and we have no role to play in it."