Uncertainty continues, CET brochures yet to go for print

No consensus between govt, private managements

Reason: the Government and the private college managements are unable to arrive at a consensus regarding the entrance test.  

The idea of a single and uniform CET covering the Government and private colleges was mooted by the Higher Education Minister to reduce the burden of multiple entrance tests. The minister constituted a committee in December 2009 to look into the feasibility of a single uniform CET and the concerns of the private college managements. However, a common agreement on the same is yet to be arrived at.

The Government’s indecisiveness on CET and the seat sharing matrix has indeed created anxiety amongst students and parents. Nirmala Rajesh, a parent, said that issues like fee and the number of seats for merit students is the concern. “There has been no announcement either on the seat matrix or the fee structure. Parents are anxious and want to know about the number of seats that will be available to students in merit category. Children are working hard for CET and are stressed out that the brochures-cum-applications have not reached the colleges yet,” Nirmal rued.

The entrance test, which is conducted by Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) every year has not yet notified the printing of brochures-cum-applications for CET.
The KEA has also estimated an increase in the number of students who will appear for the test owing to the free CET coaching classes in rural areas. From across five studios, via satellite, more than 20,000 students from rural areas are able to receive free CET coaching on  all days in 100 centres in the State. 

The Government too has increased the number of counselling centres to six and have scheduled to conduct counselling in Bangalore, Hubli, Gulbarga, Davangere, Mangalore and Shimoga. Due to the increase in the number of counselling centres, the KEA too is mulling on a marginal increase in the price of CET 2010 brochure-cum-application. 

On contacting KEA, a senior official maintained that the decision on issues of fee structure, seat matrix would be sorted out shortly.

The official said, “In the first week of February, the private college managements and the government have decided to convene a meeting on the issues and to finalise the same. Following the outcome of the meeting, the brochures would be printed”.