New rule an obstacle for CHT students

According to an office circular issued on November 10 by the Health Department, the students of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachhari hill districts will have to produce their citizenship certificates issued by the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Ministry during submission of application forms.

Guardians, specially of poor but meritorious students, are at a loss whether their wards would at all be able to get admitted in reserved seats of medical colleges.

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This is for the first time the condition was introduced by the Health Department.

Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) or the Circle Chief (King of the concerned region) issued residentship certificates to people in CHT.

When asked, Bhomong Circle Chief King Aung She Prue Chowdhury said, as a signing authority I was doing the job for a long time, but this time I was even not informed officially about the new rule.

Sha She U Marma, a guardian in Ruma upazila said, the previous process of collecting residentship certificate was quite difficult. The new condition has made it quite impossible for poor people like us. Meritorious students of rural areas will be deprived of an opportunity to study in medical colleges, he said.

Mihir Kanti Das, another guardian in Bandarban Sadar upazila said, people here are getting backward gradually in stead of moving forward following creation of such legal complexity.

According to official rule, 12 seats are kept reserved in medical colleges across the country for students of Bandarban, Rangamati and Khagrachari hill districts.