Engineering seat aspirants, particularly those among the top rankers scheduled to attend counselling on June 18, gathered at the Karnataka Examinations Authority on Thursday seeking a clear picture following the sudden postponement of the engineering admissions.
Many demanded to know the reason, some even seeking to meet higher-ups to know when the process would resume. “Fears fuelled by reports citing ‘derecognition' of colleges, generated panic among parents who demanded explanations from us,” a harried CET official said.
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An angry parent demanded that they be given definite dates.
“How can they simply send us an SMS saying the counselling is postponed? We read in the newspapers that the colleges have not been approved. Does this mean that we have to now start looking elsewhere?,” an angry parent asked.
Arundhati, a Horanadu student who had come to attend counselling scheduled for her rank on Saturday, waited all morning to know when the “issue will be solved”.
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“They are not giving any proper answers. They simply tell us that they also don't have any information. If they don't have information, then who will?” she asked, tiredness and irritation evident in her words.
Tough time
KEA officials had a tough time explaining to parents who had gathered at the premises early in the day. “We had to patiently explain to them that the KEA has no option but to wait for the AICTE list. A lot of their anger stems from misinformation,” the official said.
Similar scenes of anxiety were reported at counselling centres in Hubli and Dharwad too, “but once we explained, the crowds disbursed,” he added.
It was a similar case for admission to Ayurveda and Unani courses (AYUSH) where the department failed to obtain permission for colleges before commencement of counselling rounds.
A similar situation in the medical college admissions, where five colleges were not granted recognition, was averted by carrying on with counselling for seats in the other colleges.