BENGALURU: To help seat aspirants for under-graduate professional courses submit error-free applications, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has decided to let the applications have a trial run. For the first time, KEA is introducing this system wherein candidates can fill and submit their application on a trial basis. This will help candidates familiarise themselves with the details they need to fill in the application.
The trial run of submitting applications for CET 2018 is being introduced in view of the numerous errors in applications submitted during the CET 2017. “Specially while claiming reservation, candidates (belonging to reserved category) get confused and click ‘no’. But they realise during seat allotment how important reservation is. At that stage, there is no option to change,” said Gangadaraiah, Administrative Officer of KEA.
According to officials of KEA, this problem is faced mainly by rural candidates. “Although we introduced online process to help candidates, students from the rural areas are not happy with it. They are yet to get familiar with the online process. Keeping them in mind, we are introducing a trial run,” he said. While filling applications online, candidates fail to understand the importance of 371 J quota, ‘Agriculturist’ and ‘Agriculture Labour’ quota. “The KEA rule will not allow to change the reservation which is already entered in the application form by the candidates,” added Gangadaraiah.The applications will be available for trial run on KEA’s official website from February 1.
Scam in seat allotment
A few years ago, a scam in allotting seats was unearthed in KEA. At the stage of seat allotment, some candidates changed the quota under which they claimed reservation. Some claimed under rural quota, SC/ST and Kannada medium quota. But what they mentioned in the application was general merit. Over 170 candidates were under the scanner. The case is still pending with CID.