University Exam Authority Mooted in Karnataka
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network

BANGALORE, Jul 13: Examinations for all courses in different universities in Karnataka could well be conducted by a single agency, if the recommendations of the Examination Reforms Committee for constitution of a novel state-level Karnataka State Universities Examination Authority (KSUEA) is accepted by the state government.

The nine-member committee, headed by former Vice-Chancellor of Kuvempu University K Chidananda Gowda, which submitted its final report to Karnataka’s Higher Education Minister Aravind Limbavali in Bangalore on Monday, has also urged the government to ensure that the KSUEA be included in the proposed amendments to the Karnataka State Universities Act.

In its 18-point recommendations, the expert panel has suggested that the proposed KSUEA would function like a corporate body and headed by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO). It should be vested with the responsibility for conducting examinations for all undergraduate, postgraduate and Ph.D. examinations in different universities across the State, Dr Gowda said.

Explaining the salient features of the KSUEA, Dr Gowda said the evaluation of answer scripts should also be handled by it and the results should be announced within a stipulated period of time and prepare all the marks cards. The KSUEA will also be vested with the responsibility of conducting Common Entrance Test for admissions to various postgraduate programmes of different universities.

Dr Gowda felt that the creation of an autonomous corporate body would liberate the administration of the universities from the burden of conducting examinations and help it instead to focus on research and other developmental activities. However, he said the KSUEA would work in harmony with Registrars (Evaluation) of all the universities.

``Though the KSUEA will conduct examinations, it will be universities that will continue to award degrees to the students,’’ he said.

The committee has also recommended that the KSUEA be given an initial grant of Rs 8 crore for establishing the necessary system for communicating with universities and manage the examination system. Each university be given a grant of at least Rs 1 crore for modernising and upgrading the examination sections by adopting the latest Information and Communication Technology (ICT) besides Examination Data Processing System (EDPS), he said

The minister, after after receiving the report, said the recommendations for reforming the examination system in the state had come at the right time when there were frequent and repeated instances of question paper leaks and other lapses besides inordinate delays in the announcement of results.

Limbavali promised to look into the report and take a decision on the implementation of the recommendations at the earliest, after holding discussions with senior bureaucrats, academicians and other stakeholders.