K'taka Bill on admissions awaiting Governor's assent

Udupi, Apr 20 (UNI) The Karnataka Professional Educational Institutions (Regulation of Admission and Determination of Fee) Bill, 2006, passed in the State Legislature recently, is expected to get Governor T N Chaturvedi's assent within a couple of days, Higher Education Minister D H Shankaramurthy informed today.

Addressing a press conference here, he said as per the provisions of the Bill, the government would have the power to oversee the COMED-K entrance test conducted by private unaided professional institutions by appointing a Committee to control malpractices, if any, and initiate punitive action against erring institutions to the extent of cancelling affiliation and imposing a fine of Rs ten lakh.

Besides, under the Bill, all seats would be filled through COMED-K test or CET with 50 per cent seats reserved for SC/ST and backward class students from the state, he added.

On the fee structure, Mr Shankaramurthy said a new committee would be formed to look into it from the next year. However, like in the previous year, the recommendations of the Rangavitalachar Committee would be followed for the current academic year. The private institutions had the liberty to join the CET conducted by the government or the COMED-K test.

Encouraged by the overwhelming response from students and parents to the government's move to telecast coaching classes for CET through Doordarshan's Chandana channel to help students in rural areas, his ministry had planned to broadcast the classes through Akashvani soon, he informed.

The Minister announced that the government had decided to start nine new government colleges in the state, including seven in district headquarters. Budgetary allocation had already been made for the purpose, he said.

Detailed discussions had already been initated by him with universities and educational experts on modifying the syllabus in colleges, he said, adding that a wide debate was neccessary on the issue before arriving at a decision.

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