Medical School Hopefuls Protest Failure
Prospective students of Phnom Penh’s University of Medicine undertook a third day of demonstrations Friday, angered that a high number 
Prospective students for Phnom Penh’sUniversity of Medicine undertook a third day ofdemonstrations Friday, angered that a high number of them had failed andswearing to continue protests until they are admitted. Around 400 would-be medical students have been protestingsince Wednesday, with less than 400 out of 1,800 test-takers able to meet the50 percent minimum score. Health Minister Mam Bunheng said Friday Cambodia needs“qualified doctors and nurses” and the National Committee of Examinations hadjudged correctly in admitting only the 369 who passed their entrance exams. “If you are not qualified enough as a medical student, youcannot be a physician,” he said at a press conference Friday. “For example, ifyou are operating on someone and cut the wrong artery, and you cut the arterythat bleeds a lot, the patient will quickly die.” Officials from the ministries of Health and Education, theNational Committee of Examinations, and several cabinet ministers met with fivestudent representatives and the Independent Teacher’s Association Thursdaynight to resolve the problem. At that meeting, officials decided to reduce the entrancescore from 50 percent to 25 percent, which would allow an additional 507students to join the university, filling a total 876 slots. Even with the entrance score lowered to 25 percent, somestudents remained dissatisfied. Students said the university had earlier announced that1,481 slots would be open and they would continue to demonstrate every dayuntil that many slots were filled. Of the 936 students who scored below 25 percent on theirentrance exams, 605 more need to be admitted to satisfy the demonstrators.