Bangalore: CET, COMED-K: Only two entrance tests for professional courses

From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Dec 19: Karnataka will be having just two entrance tests --– CET and COMED-K – for admission of students to professional courses in the State for the academic year 2014-15.

The Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2006, is being implemented in the State from 2014-15 for admission of students for medical, engineering and dental courses.

Students seeking admission to courses will be required to write only two exams – common entrance test (CET) being conducted by the Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) and the test conducted by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges- Karnataka (COMED-K).

All private, aided, minority and deemed universities would conduct only one test, Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil said while talking to reporters in Bangalore on Wednesday.

The KEA would conduct a separate CET for admissions.

“Conducting of separate tests by deemed universities and minority institutions is illegal under the 2006 Act,” he said and warned that the State Government will take action against such institutions.

Till 2013-14, students have been writing four tests – CET, COMED-K, Karnataka Religious and Linguistic Minority (KRLM) and by the deemed universities.

The 2006 Act envisages setting aside 50 per cent of seats for Karnataka students in private colleges.

All admissions would be regulated by Admission Overseeing Committee headed by Justice V Jagannathan and fees by the Fee Regulation Committee headed by Justice Ajit J Gunjal.

A representative of AICTE/MCI, a person of repute nominated by chairperson, a chartered accountant, the secretaries of Medical and Higher Education departments are members of the fee committee.

''All admissions of private colleges will be closely scrutinised by committees. The Act will ensure transparency in the admissions,” the minister said.

Ruling out blocking of seats under the new system, he declared: ''The government will ensure seats for all meritorious students belonging to poor families.”

BJP Accuses Govt of 'Selling Out' to Private College Managements

Taking sharp exception to the Siddaramaiah regime’s agreement with the managements of private professional colleges on seat sharing and fee structure for the year 2014-15 as a ''total sell-out” to the private college managements.
 
State BJP spokesperson and former Higher Education Minister C T Ravi strongly condemned the implementation of the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act, 2006, for admission of students for medical, engineering and dental courses from 2014-15.
 
''It is nothing but a total sell-out of seats to private college managements,” he said addressing a news conference in Bangalore.
 
The Siddaramaiah Government’s unilateral decision to implement the Act was nothing but a “day-light robbery” of seats by the private colleges.

With more than 200 private engineering colleges in the State providing admission to nearly 80,000 students a year, he said the private college managements had made a ''killing.”

The decision to conduct Common Entrance Test for allotment of seats only in Government colleges would lead to denial of 49,000 government quota engineering seats in private colleges, the BJP leader said.

He said the state government run engineering colleges would provide admission for only 5,000 engineering seats in the State and the students depending on the private engineering and medical or dental colleges would be cheated.

Besides denying seats for meritorious students in private colleges, private managements would charge exorbitant fees for medical, dental and engineering colleges, he alleged.

Moreover, Ravi said fees would be varied based on the availability of infrastructure in colleges.

So far, under the consensual pact, each engineering, medical and dental seat was charged Rs 41,000, Rs. 43,000 and Rs. 44,000 respectively.

Both Minister of State for Medical Education Sharan Prakash Patil and Minister for Higher Education R V Deshpande have succumbed to the interests of the education lobby of private colleges, he alleged.

Following the decision to implement the Act, the Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges- Karnataka (COMED-K) would conduct examination and indulged in all kinds of malpractices.

The seats would be auctioned for higher bidder in colleges, he alleged and claimed that the Congress government has yielded to the education lobby.

Stating that the Government has failed to protect the interests of the meritorious students, the BJP leader said the implementation of the Act would be “dangerous” for higher education.

In the 50 per cent of seats earmarked for OBCs, the creamy layer students belonging to OBCs would snatch seats from meritorious students belonging to poor families, he alleged.