Testing times for non-quota students

Students in the State belonging to the general merit category will be at a disadvantage when the new admission system for professional courses comes into force from the next academic year following the implementation of the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions Act, 2006.

Under the new system, there will be no government quota seats in private colleges. While SC/ST/OBC students from Karnataka will enjoy the benefit of 50 per cent reservation in seats in private colleges, the general merit students from the State will have to compete with those from across the country for the remaining seats as it will be a national-level entrance test.

At present, half of the government quota seats in private colleges are reserved for SC/ST/OBC while the general merit students from the State can opt for the remaining seats. This preferential treatment will cease to exist under the new system.

Towards the end of the Common Entrance Test (CET) counselling this year, about 54,000 engineering seats were available under government quota in private colleges. Of these, about 27,000 engineering seats were available for general merit students from the State. From the next year, the general merit students from State may lose the exclusive option to select these seats.

Students belonging to several special categories, including physically challenged, will lose the reservation benefit under the new admission regime.

This year, 1,971 engineering and 108 medical seats were reserved for special categories. In all, 3 per cent of the seats were reserved for the differently abled.

However, the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions Act, 2006, under which admissions will be made, is silent on reservation to all other categories except the SCs, STs and OBCs.

Hence, the quota will be eliminated for other special categories such as NCC, sports, physically challenged, ex-defence, Anglo Indian, Scouts and Guides.

“We will reserve seats as per the provisions of the Act. The Act is silent on reservations apart from that to the SCs ,STs and OBC,” said COMEDK chief executive A S Srikanth.