Members of the Udupi unit of the Students Islamic Organisation of India (SIO) staged a dharna to protest against the State government’s move to implement the Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Fixation of Fees) (Special Provisions) Act 2006 for professional courses. President of Udupi unit of SIO Mohammed Zeeshan said that if the government went ahead with its move, it would be a clear betrayal of the poor students as professional courses such as engineering and medicine would then be beyond their reach. “The Act favours private colleges and not the students,” he said. The government should ensure that there was just one entrance test to join these colleges instead of two tests: one conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority and another by COMED-K. The State government should provide better facilities in government medical and engineering colleges, he said.
