Students of public and private medical colleges demonstrated across the country yesterday to press for restoration of “carry on” system in medical colleges that would allow them to continue with professional courses even after failing a subject.
In Rangpur, around 750 students of one public and three private medical colleges formed a human chain in front of the press club in the city.
Speakers at a rally following the protest,  said the “carry on” system allowed a student to attend classes in the next academic year even if he or she was unsuccessful in one subject in a professional examination.
 But the system was cancelled in 2012, requiring a student to sit out for six months to retake the exam in the failed subject.    
The speakers said under the new system, students are now facing session jams and it is leading to a shortage of intern doctors.   
Many students are also opting to drop out instead of retaking exams, they claimed.   
The students appealed to the government to restore the old “carry on” system, taking into consideration the future of a large number of medical students.
Medical students also blocked roads and demonstrated in front of the National Press Club in the capital, Dhaka, and in front of medical colleges in Chittagong, Rajshahi and Kushtia.