No evening college but KEA allotted seats in Bengaluru

The future of over 200 students admitted to the BMS Evening College of Engineering is at stake due to an apparent bungling by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).

Starting 2022-23, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) cancelled evening engineering colleges across the country and communicated the decision to the higher education authorities of all the states in the previous academic year itself.

The AICTE also withdrew the three-year degree programmes offered at evening engineering colleges for diploma holders.

Following the directive, the Basavanagudi institution turned into a day college and reportedly told the KEA as much beforehand.

But despite clear instructions from the AICTE and the evening college, the KEA allotted seats for the three-year course late last year.

The bungling has meant that even 45 days after the admissions process was completed, classes have not started.

On Wednesday, angry students staged a protest at the college.

The evening college offered three-year undergraduate engineering courses in five streams: civil, mechanical, electronics and communication, electrical and electronics, and computer science. The intake in each stream was 60.

But its conversion to a day college meant the course duration has increased to four years.

“We enrolled here because it’s a three-year course. But the college now says we have to study for four years,” the protestings students said. “How can we accept that?”

That’s not all. The day college wants the students — working diploma holders who are supposed to join the second year/third semester — to start from the first year.

“This is patently unfair,” the students said.

College authorities insist it’s not their fault.

“We had clearly conveyed to the KEA our decision to be a day college. Still, it allotted seats at the evening college for three-year courses,” college principal Dr S Muralidhara told DH.

He added that they have written to the KEA seeking clarification but have not received a reply. “We are ready to conduct classes but we need a clarification from the authorities concerned,” the principal added.

Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said he was aware of the issue and added that a letter had been written to the AICTE seeking clarification.

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