A private health institute here has expelled 72 female students since the beginning of the new academic year. The institute has defended its decision on the grounds that the students' standards are not up to the academic requirements. However, the students have slammed the decision saying that the institute has “no legal grounds” to take such a step. A source at the health institute insisted that the expelled female students did not score high enough to comply with admission rules. The rules stipulate that “students must score 75 percent in the general secondary school examination, 60 percent in the aptitude test, and should not get less than 55 percent in the quizzes the institute conducts”. An attempt by the Okaz/Saudi Gazette reporter to probe further into the reasons for the decision was unsuccessful. The students have no chance to enroll in another institute, as the first semester has already begun. __
