Students in Karnataka taking exam
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has decided to do away with the ‘secret key’ system during the seat allotment to professional courses from this year.
With the existing practice, each seat aspirant used to get a ‘secret key’ during the registration which they were supposed to use during the entire seat allotment process.
However, following the alleged involvement of KEA staff in the previous year’s engineering seat blocking, KEA has decided to conduct the seat allotment using one-time passwords (OTP) and face ID of students.
Sharing the details with DH, H Prasanna, executive director of KEA said, “Under the secret key system, it was possible for miscreants to get candidates’ credentials. Hence, we have stopped providing secret key and the entire process will be OTP and face ID based.”
When the seat blocking scam came to light during 2024 seat allotment to professional courses, KEA had registered a police complaint. A few staff members of the KEA were the first to be detained by investigating officers. As the secret key was set by the KEA, the first suspects were the staff, because without the involvement or knowledge of the staff, it was impossible for miscreants to get the secret keys.
“When we summoned students, some of them submitted statements saying they were not aware about the misuse of their credentials. This forced us to do way with the secret key system and to introduce OTP and face ID,” Prasanna explained. This is to ensure authenticity and transparency, he added.
Even if someone hacks the credentials and manages to get the OTP, the mandatory authentication through face ID will upset their plans as the face ID must match the one already registered with the KEA.
Meanwhile, KEA has informed students that the OTP will be sent only to the mobile numbers registered by them while submitting their KCET applications. “There are students approaching us seeking change in the registered mobile number. To avoid confusion and controversies in future, we are demanding an undertaking from students before changing the numbers,” Prasanna mentioned.