Centralised admission to polytechnics from this year

Admissions to government and aided polytechnic institutes in the State have been centralised from the current academic year 2012-13.

The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) will conduct the process, including counselling and seat selection.

The move by the Department of Technical Education (DTE) is aimed at helping meritorious students select seats in polytechnics and courses of their choice in any government or aided technological institute in the State.

Earlier, seat selection and counselling were conducted at the district level.

The DTE circular issued earlier this month states that students should appear for interviews at centres specified by the KEA and select polytechnics and courses during counselling. They will have to apply for courses as per the admission notification issued by the KEA.

According to the guidelines issued by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), five per cent of the seats are supernumerary and reserved for students whose parents’ annual income is less than Rs 4.5 lakh.

Waiver of tuition fee will be based on merit.

The KEA will notify the fee, and notifications will be displayed in all government and aided polytechnics.

Infrastructure available with the KEA will be used for the admission and counselling process. Seats surrendered by unaided polytechnics will also be filled on the basis of merit.

This is the first time the DTE has handed over the admission process for government and aided polytechnics in the State to the KEA.

Information on the commencement and deadlines for admission not being available at government and aided polytechnics have added to the confusion of students and parents visiting the institutes for inquiring about admissions after results for SSLC examination were announced last week.

Parents visiting government and aided polytechnics had to return empty-handed with the institutions expressing their helplessness in providing the necessary information on admissions.

Some parents said officials concerned had asked them to wait for some more time to get information on admission, or log on to the DTE website for details.

Sources in the Government Polytechnic here told Deccan Herald that they were not aware when the admissions will begin.