Pvt engg colleges refuse to give up unfilled seats

Govt wants colleges to offer vacant seats to CET, UGET students

Another roadblock seems to have come in the way of the signing of the consensual agreement between the State government and private colleges for admission to undergraduate engineering courses in the State.

The Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges’ Association (KUPECA) has not made the change suggested by the government pertaining to unfilled seats under the government quota.

The Department of Higher Education wanted the colleges to offer the vacant seats only to students who have written the Common Entrance Test (CET) or the Undergraduate Entrance Test (UGET) conducted by the Consortium of Medical, Engineering, and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (Comed-K).

Siddaiah, Principal Secretary, Higher Education, told Deccan Herald: “We are very particular about the change in the clause. Unfilled seats should be given only to students who write the CET or Comed-K UGET.”

The colleges, however, are not keen on this suggestion. They say the seats remain unfilled because CET and Comed-K UGET students do not choose them.

“When such students do not pick the seats at first opportunity (during the counselling), would they take them later (for an exorbitant fee)? Where would the colleges find such students again?” asked Pandurang Shetty, vice-president, KUPECA.

Shetty said the government’s suggestion was “flawed”. “What about students who have written the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE) or tests other than the CET or the Comed-K UGET? Aren’t they eligible?” he wanted to know.

Although the KUPECA submitted the agreement to the government on Monday, Shetty clarified that the suggested changes were not made. “We have not made any change whatsoever. We expect the government to not raise any more objection. If they do, they can do what they want,” he said.

If the seats remain unfilled, the KUPECA wants the government to reimburse the entire fees of the four-year course, Shetty said, adding the draft agreement would be prepared afresh after taking a legal opinion.

The colleges also want the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to conduct only three rounds of counselling. “If more rounds are held, we won’t have any time to attract other students,” Shetty said.

Further delay in the signing of the agreement might affect the counselling timetable. Students have to make option entries online from 6 am of July 12 to 5 pm of July 18.

Mock allotment will be announced on July 20, and real allotment under the admission round on July 23.

The agreement has to be approved by the Supreme Court, too. Siddaiah, however, sought to allay the concerns saying the agreement would be signed by July 12, he said.