Day One of the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) went off successfully on Thursday, amid the spike in Covid-19 cases.
Though the first day faced no hurdles, the number of candidates appearing for Biology and Mathematics papers saw a dip compared to previous year. The percentage of students present for Biology paper was 75.89, whereas it was 89.22 for Mathematics, down from 79.90 for Biology and 89.22 for Mathematics in 2019.
Explaining the decrease in attendance, Higher Education Minister Dr C N Ashwath Narayan said, “This is mainly because II PU results of state boards and other boards were declared before KCET this year and only eligible candidates appeared for the test.”
A total of 60 Covid-19 positive students registered for KCET, of which 57 appeared for the test from 22 districts for Mathematics and 49 for Biology. Of these, 14 were from two centres in Bengaluru. Special arrangements were made for these students to write the exams at Covid Care Centres, with all necessary safety measures in place, along with PPE kits for invigilators.
Addressing the media after the test, Ashwath Narayan said, “The Standard Operating Procedure was in place. Transportation and food were provided for Covid positive students.”
Students were happy with the Biology and Mathematics papers. They said the papers were easy and that they were able to finish them within the allotted 60 minutes.
Sukrutha Prakash Midgesh, a student of Deeksha Centre for Learning, said, “Mathematics paper was quite easy compared to the previous year and not lengthy also. Thanks to the authorities for implementing all safety and hygiene measures, so that we could write the exams without fear.”
“I am happy that social distancing, temperature check and wearing of masks was a must. The Biology paper was easy and only one question was out of the NCERT book,” said Nandita a student from National PU college.
One small glitch
Students from outside Karnataka who chose Bengaluru centres found it difficult to get a hotel to stay
Minister at COVID centres
Higher Education Minister Ashwath Narayan visited one of the Covid Care Centres where Covid-19 positive candidates were writing exams. He was wearing a PPE kit and interacted with the students. “It was not just to inspect the facilities, but also to boost their morale,” he
said.
The results of KCET 2020 are likely to announce in 15 to 20 days, Dr AShwath Narayan said in a press
conference.
Covid infected appear at spl exam centres
Two students infected with Covid-19 wrote Karnataka Common Entrance Test (KCET) in a special examination centre here on Thursday.
The centre was opened for the infected boy and girl at the hostel run by the Social Welfare Department in the city. Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) camera was also installed. The students were brought in an ambulance to the examination hall from their Covid Care Centres.
A doctor and a staff nurse on Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) were deployed for their health check-up. They distributed question and answer papers and the answer scripts of the infected students were packed separately. The examination staff too supervised.
One candidate who had tested positive for Covid-19 virus was provided with a separate room at the ASP Commerce College of Vijaypura to wrote the test. The services of a doctor and two para-medical workers were also provided at the centre to monitor the health condition of the candidate. As many as 7,889 candidates had registered for the examination. Of these 7,168 appeared for the test on Thursday.
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