Former and current students of Crimea State Medical University (CSMU) in Ukraine have been invited by MIC president S Samy Vellu for an explanation on the de-recognition effective January 2006.

The half-day dialogue is slated to start at 9am on Aug 4 at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

MIC's Social Strategic Foundation (YSS) executive director Dr Denison Jayasooria said the session was for the party chief to explain the CSMU issue to all concerned, particularly students who are back in Malaysia for a two-month semester break.

"It is to provide an opportunity for students to understand the recent decision to de-recognise CSMU (degrees) and to discuss educational issues and concerns affecting the Malaysian medical student population at the university," he said in a statement.

"The dialogue is open to all Malaysian students currently studying or recently graduated from CSMU," he added.

Samy Vellu is works minister and chairperson of MIC's educational arm, the Maju Institute for Educational Development (MIED).

MMC also invited

Contacted later, Denison said the opportunity is mainly for students to clarify their status, raise questions on the quality of their training and related issues.

He said the Malaysia Medical Council (MMC) has also been invited to provide the necessary clarifications on the issue.

"The MIC has also sent letters, through the MIED, to over 200 CSMU students and are in the process of identifying the Malay and Chinese students through the university's Umno youth group and the respective ethnic students associations," he said.

"I'm meeting the respective representatives later today."

The issue grabbed news headlines following the MMC's abrupt announcement in mid-June on de-recognising CSMU medical degrees barely four years after granting it.

The MMC cited a range of reasons including an alleged decline in teaching quality and facilities given the total student population.

Soon after, Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek cited rape and threat incidents as grounds for the de-recognition but failed to furnish any details till today.

Chua said the government will not entertain appeals from CSMU as the university had not bothered to reply MMC's earlier queries.

The university has since denied all the allegations and provided malaysiakini copies of a series of correspondence with the MMC since last August.