With the introduction of national-level competitive exams, including the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), medical and dental seat aspirants find themselves in a quandary. They are unable to switch streams after counselling if they get a better seat. To fix this, and several other issues, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) plans to propose tweaks to its rules.
As there is a shortage of medical seats, students tend to pick engineering seats as a backup. However, the counselling sessions for engineering colleges are now conducted first, with the NEET counselling following. Once students pick an engineering seat, they are not allowed to shift to medical or dental streams even if they obtain a seat in a “better” college, or vice-versa. To address this, the KEA has decided to tweak the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) Act, 2006.
Ujjwal Kumar Ghosh, executive director of the examinations authority, said they would propose to the government to amend the rules as several issues have cropped up because of the multiple entrance exams. Several stakeholders had their first meeting in the last week of September.
The move has been welcomed by students, who are crumbling under the pressure of keeping up with different counselling schedules for various professional courses. While the counselling for all professional courses through the Common Entrance Test (CET) would be held simultaneously, the scenario has changed with the advent of national-level exams such as NEET.
Sujith S., a II PU student, said: “Many of our seniors were in a dilemma as the counselling for engineering seats was held first and later the counselling for medical and dental seats through their NEET scores was held. Normally, students pick medical and dental seats first and later, those who do not get these seats pick engineering. But for two years now, the reverse has been happening.”
For NRI students
Among other things, the KEA is mulling over allowing NRI students to write CET for admissions to professional courses for 2018-2019.
“This issue has to be studied before an amendment is proposed. The matter has been referred and, after studying the entire issue and legal position, a proposal will be submitted to the government,” Mr. Ghosh said.
