CET likely to be advanced to avoid clash with poll dates

The State Assembly elections slated for April/May are likely to affect the schedule of the Common Entrance Test by a week. The CET is a gateway for admissions to engineering, pharmacy, agriculture and ayurveda, among others. Last academic year, CET was conducted on May 2 and 3. Sources in the State government said shuffling the exam dates was inevitable given the manpower required for deployment on election duty. “Several colleges, which would be used as exam centres, would also be needed for poll duty. So it would be in the interest of students to advance the exams by a week,” an official said. A preliminary meeting was conducted by the Karnataka Examinations Authority on Monday to discuss the matter. Students aspiring for these streams are jittery at the thought of early exams. Suresh S., a II PU student, said: “If the exam is advanced, we will get one week less to prepare. We can still plan our study schedule if the authorities let us know the timetable much ahead,” he said. The schedule for other exams will also be affected. PU exams Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanveer Sait, however, pointed out that the II PU exam that is usually spread through the month may be conducted in 16 days. “We are planning to club some papers for students of different combinations. We will, however, ensure that students are given sufficient breaks between exams of core subjects,” he said. SSLC dates SSLC exam, too, would be held one week earlier than usual. The Department of Primary and Secondary Education is yet to decide on the timetable for SSLC and II PU exams. Mr. Sait said the department, after finalising the timetable by mid-November, would write to the State Election Commission. “We will also submit the list of schools and staff we require for the elections to avoid clash,” he said. He, however, added that reshuffling of dates will not be a problem for schools and PU colleges as the number of working days this academic year has been increased compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, officials in the Medical Education Department said they were waiting for the Central Board of Secondary Education to announce the dates of the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test. “It is an exam to be conducted across the country so it will have to be a common date. We will intimidate the Election Commission regarding the staff who will be involved in this process,” a senior official in the department said.