The lack of clarity on the implementation of the 10% reservation for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and revised reservation quota for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) has resulted in depriving thousands of eligible candidates from entry into professional courses for the next academic year.
Despite a Supreme Court order, there is no clarity in the State government about implementation of the EWS quota in the professional courses seat sharing. On the other hand, though there was an order of the government on SCs and STs reservation increased by 2% and 4% respectively, the Department of Technical Education has not given any instruction to the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to apply this in the seat sharing for the next academic year.
The Supreme Court had upheld the constitutional validity of the law granting 10% reservation to EWS communities in November 2022. However, amidst the demand for hiking reservation for Vokkaligas and Lingayats in the State, the government has entrusted the process to the Backward Classes Commission. This will take another five to six months.
Recently, the State government increased the reservation for SCs from 15% to 17%, and for STs from 3% to 7% in December, 2022. The government also ordered that the reservation be implemented with immediate effect in education, employment and government benefits.
The KEA is planning to announce the schedule of the Common Entrance Test (CET 2023), which is the gateway for professional courses like engineering, in the State. But with the lack of clarity about the implementation of the EWS quota, the KEA has not included it in the online application and will not reserve seats either.
At the same time, despite the government order, the Department of Technical Education has not inform anything to KEA about additional reservation for the SC, ST students. Therefore, the KEA is not facilitating additional seats to these communities.
Speaking to The Hindu, Ramya S., Executive Director of KEA, said: “Neither the State government nor the Technical Education Department has given any instruction about the reservation of EWS quota or SC, ST additional quota seats. If the government will take any decision in the future, we will follow those instructions”.
