Students in Karnataka are in apprehensive mode once again. The Supreme Court’s nod to conduct the National Eligibility Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions into medical and BDS courses for 2016-17 across the country has come just five days before the State government’s Common Entrance Test (CET). There is no clarity on the validity of entrance exams such as the CET, COMED-K and entrance tests of various private colleges.
On Thursday, the seven helplines of the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) were swamped with enquiries, with over 1,000 calls coming in. Some even requested that the State government postpone the CET until there is clarity on the validity of the test.
However, the callers were no wiser since they were only told that there was no communication and the examination would be conducted as scheduled. “If there are any changes, we have told them that we will immediately put it on the website,” an official manning the helpline said.
Manasa R., a student of Vidyamandir Independent PU College, who is planning to write the CET for a medical seat, said: “We do not want to write CET and later be told that it is not valid, and then write another test.”
Shivangi Tomar, a Class 12 CBSE student and a medical seat aspirant, said that while one common exam like NEET was a good move, kicking off NEET for 2016-2017 at this stage may be too late. “Students have already made up their minds and prepared for multiple entrance tests. Some students are writing the Manipal entrance test on Friday. They should have made plans earlier if they were keen on conducting it this year,” she said.
He also said that most students feared that the NEET would be favourable to students from CBSE background. “Although our portions are also now modelled on the CBSE, PU students may be at a disadvantage,” he added.
CET to be held as scheduled
The Karnataka Examinations Authority has said the Common Entrance Test will be conducted as scheduled on May 4 and 5. KEA officials said they had received no communication to the contrary. A total of 1.78 lakh candidates have registered for this year’s CET. “Although there is still ambiguity on what this test would mean for medical seat aspirants, we have decided to go ahead with CET as it is also an entrance exam to obtain government quota engineering and agriculture seats,” they said. Sources in the KEA said that in the light of the chemistry II PU paper leakage, additional security measures have been put in place. “The question papers will be sent only to district treasuries and will not be sent to taluk treasuries,” a senior official in KEA said.
