As part of its ambitious initiatives for improving quality education, Gulbarga University has planned to reintroduce entrance test for admissions to various postgraduate courses. Addressing a media conference on the university campus here on Tuesday, Vice-Chancellor S.R. Niranjan said that he would make all efforts to implement the entrance test from the next academic year.
“Many factors, including cheating during examinations, determine the impressive marks obtained in the graduation level. We rely on the degree marks cards for determining the intellect of a student. That is why we are keen on reintroducing entrance test for admission to postgraduate courses. Only the marks obtained in the entrance test and not the degree marks card would be considered for admission to all 37 postgraduate courses,” he said.
He justified the proposed move by stating that such a quality test would help prevent injustice being meted out to honest and intelligent students and also improve the overall quality of education even at the undergraduate level.
“If students realise that their marks obtained in the degree course would no longer help them secure a postgraduate seat, they will automatically stop examination malpractices and study seriously,” he said.
When asked, Mr. Niranjan said that the proposed entrance test would in no way affect the intake of any postgraduate course. “We will not reduce the intake. We will just fill all seats with better performers in the entrance test. The question paper for the entrance test would be based on the respective syllabus of three-year degree course and hence, serious students need not worry at all,” he said.
To a question on the fate of 15 colleges which were restricted to take admissions for 2016-17 by the Academic Council on the grounds that there was lack of educational infrastructure, Mr. Niranjan said that that matter was with the government after re-inspection of the colleges concerned was done.
H.T. Pothe, Chairman of Kannada Study Centre, was present.