The Engineering Agriculture and Medical Common Entrance Test (EAMCET)-2014 will be the last combined test for students from Telangana and Seemandhra regions as the Andhra Pradesh State Council of Higher Education will be divided into two separate units before the Appointed Day of June 2.
Similar will be the fate of all the Common Entrance Tests like ICET, PGECET, LAWCET and Ed.CET. The APSCHE is the nodal agency for all the CETs.
Officials have taken a sudden decision to bifurcate the APSCHE now itself though the AP State Reorganisation Act placed it in the 10 Schedule thus giving it an opportunity to function as a single unit for a couple of years and leaving the division issue to the two new Governments.
Officials expedite worksThe sudden decision has caught the APSCHE officials unaware and they have expedited their efforts to divide the employees in 58:42 ratio between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana respectively.
The APSCHE has 25 permanent employees while the rest are outsourced and it may not be a tough effort to divide them. “However, distribution of assets may be tough, more so the finances connected to the CETs as the process of the tests is likely to be completed only in October,” said Prof. L. Venugopal Reddy, APSCHE Chairman.
Prof. Reddy will continue as the Chairman of APSCHE in the residual AP State, while the Deputy Director, Krishna Murthy may function as in-charge Secretary. The present Secretary, Satish Reddy will be the Secretary of Telangana unit while Prof. S. Satyanarayana, presently the OU Vice-Chancellor, is likely to be the in-charge Chairman.
Prof. Satyanarayana, who was appointed as the Vice-Chairman earlier did not take up the responsibility.
He has submitted to the Government for relieving himself as OU V-C and the orders are likely to be issued soon. Whether the AP unit will function from Hyderabad is still a question. “If the new Government feels it should function from any city in the residual State to be closer to students and colleges we have to shift there,” Prof. Reddy said. Though the two units may conduct two separate tests for all professional courses issues will haunt them since the present admission policy of providing existing opportunities for residual AP students will continue for 10 years.
It means they can stake claim for 15 per cent unreserved seats in Telangana state. In such a case whether they have to take the test conducted by the Telangana State or just the test of residual AP will be enough is a question.
“Officials have not understood the implications of immediate division and we may face several problems in the next couple of years,” a senior official explained.
