Makran Medical College students protest viva failures for 3rd day in Turbat
Synopsis
Medical students at Makran Medical College in Turbat have spent three straight days on the streets demanding justice over alleged viva exam irregularities that wiped out an academic year. With the Baloch Students Action Committee now publicly calling out authorities and no resolution in sight, the protest spotlights a wider crisis of institutional accountability in Balochistan's beleaguered education sector.
Key Takeaways
Students at Makran Medical College , Turbat , protested for a third consecutive day on 10 November 2026 over alleged irregularities in viva-based examinations.
Students allege the unjustified failures cost them an academic year and have harmed their mental well-being.
The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) publicly questioned authorities' inaction, posting a statement on X .
Prior protests and class boycotts have yielded no lasting resolution, according to the students.
The protest coincides with broader security concerns following an armed attack last month at a Girls Degree College in Nushki that left three female students injured.
Students at Makran Medical College in Turbat, Balochistan, entered a third consecutive day of protests on Monday, 10 November 2026, demanding accountability over alleged irregularities in viva-based annual examinations that they say have cost them an academic year and severely affected their mental health. The demonstrations, reported by local media, follow a pattern of recurring grievances that students claim have never been addressed with any lasting solution.
What Students Are Demanding
Protesters are calling for a transparent and impartial examination system and an end to what they describe as unjustified failures in viva evaluations. Students said that class boycotts and repeated demonstrations in prior years had yielded no permanent resolution from either the college administration or relevant regulatory authorities.
'It is unfortunate that every year we hold protests, boycott classes and take other peaceful protest measures for our legitimate demands, yet no lasting solution to students' basic problems has been found,' the students were quoted as saying by The Balochistan Post.
BSAC Raises Alarm Over Exam Fairness
The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) publicly questioned the authorities' continued inaction, posting on X: 'Students' futures at stake — when will the authorities take notice? The voices raised by students at Makran Medical College, Turbat, are not merely a protest but a serious appeal to protect their academic future, rights, and justice. Every year, issues concerning the examination system, particularly Viva-based Annual Examinations, have come to light...'
The BSAC's intervention signals that the dispute has moved beyond individual student grievances and is now drawing organised political attention from student bodies across Balochistan.
Students Call for Immediate Action
In a collective appeal, the protesters urged the college administration and relevant officials to treat their concerns seriously. 'We call on the college administration and the relevant authorities to take students' problems seriously and provide an immediate, practical and lasting solution, so that students do not lose any more valuable time or jeopardise their future,' they said.
The students warned that failure to act would continue to push young medical aspirants into cycles of academic and psychological hardship, compounding an already difficult environment for education in the region.
Wider Security Concerns in Balochistan's Education Sector
This protest comes amid broader anxieties over the safety of educational institutions in Balochistan. Last month, at least three female students were injured after masked gunmen opened fire inside the Girls Degree College in Nushki district, according to local media citing the college administration.
According to the college administration, three armed men stormed the premises, damaged surveillance cameras, and vandalised the principal's office before opening fire on students. The injured — identified as Mehmoona and Maryam, both from Qaziabad, and Rukhsana from the Killi Mengal region — were shifted to Mir Gul Khan Naseer Teaching Hospital in Nushki, with one reportedly in critical condition at the time.
The Nushki attack drew widespread condemnation from rights groups and student organisations, which raised concerns over the deteriorating security environment in educational institutions across the province.
A Recurring Crisis with No Resolution in Sight
Taken together, the exam irregularity protests at Makran Medical College and the armed attack in Nushki paint a troubling picture of an education sector under acute stress — from both institutional failures and physical insecurity. Unless the Pakistani authorities and college administrations address these concerns substantively, Balochistan risks losing a generation of students to systemic neglect.
Point of View
Not a one-off dispute. When a medical college can allegedly fail students arbitrarily through opaque viva assessments, year after year, without regulatory intervention, it signals that the bodies meant to protect academic integrity are either absent or complicit. The BSAC's intervention is notable: it transforms a campus grievance into a political accountability question. Paired with last month's armed attack on a girls' college in Nushki, Balochistan's education sector emerges as a space where students face threats from both within institutions and outside them — a combination that risks deterring enrolment in a province already struggling with literacy and professional attainment.
NationPress
10 Nov 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are students at Makran Medical College protesting?
Students are protesting alleged irregularities in viva-based annual examinations, claiming the unjustified failures have caused them to lose an academic year and severely affected their mental well-being. They are demanding a transparent and impartial evaluation system and an immediate resolution from the college administration and relevant authorities.
What is the Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) and what did it say?
The Baloch Students Action Committee (BSAC) is a student advocacy organisation in Balochistan. It publicly questioned authorities' inaction on the exam fairness issue, posting on X that the students' voices represent 'a serious appeal to protect their academic future, rights, and justice' and asking when authorities would take notice.
How long have the protests been going on?
The latest wave of protests entered its third consecutive day on Monday, 10 November 2026. However, students say this is part of a recurring pattern, with demonstrations and class boycotts staged every year over the same unresolved grievances.
What was the armed attack on a Balochistan college last month?
Last month, three masked gunmen stormed the Girls Degree College in Nushki district, damaged surveillance cameras, vandalised the principal's office, and opened fire on students, injuring three female students — Mehmoona and Maryam from Qaziabad, and Rukhsana from the Killi Mengal region. One of the injured was reportedly in critical condition and was shifted to Mir Gul Khan Naseer Teaching Hospital in Nushki.
What are students demanding from the authorities?
Students are calling on the Makran Medical College administration and relevant regulatory officials to take their concerns seriously and provide an immediate, practical, and lasting solution to exam irregularities, so that no more academic time is lost and their futures are not jeopardised.
