State exam authority ‘messes up’ with BSc nursing admissions
BENGALURU: The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), which finished the first round of counselling for students seeking admission to nursing courses across the state, is under fire from students who allege several irregularities in the allotment of seats. On Saturday, these students filed a complaint with the KEA in which they said that after the counselling round, several students were allotted seats wrongly.
According to one complaint, male students were given seats in women-only colleges. In another complaint, students were asked to report to colleges which which only existed on paper. The KEA is the agency authorised by the government to allot seats. The students demanded that the authorities consider them for a merit-based second-round.
The copies of the complaints which are available with The New Indian Express, show that some male students were allotted seats at the Karnataka Health Institute School of Nursing in Belagavi and the Nanjappa Institute of Nursing Sciences in Shivamogga. On going to these institutions, they were denied admission as the institutions were for women only. “Today (Saturday) was the last day for me to report to the college for admission. When I went there, the college authorities sent me back saying it was a women-only college,” one of the complainants said.
Others were shocked to find out that the colleges they were allotted did not exist at all. “I was allotted a seat based on my merit in the first round of counselling. When I reached the address provided by the KEA, I was shocked to find that there was no college there as it had closed down many years ago,” said another student who approached the KEA. Many were irritated as the KEA did not verify the list of colleges before allotting seats. “This shows the irresponsibility of the authorities. How can closed colleges continue to remain on their lists?” a student questioned.
However, according to the KEA, it was not their responsibility to ensure colleges were functioning. Blaming the Medical Education Department, a senior official from the KEA said, “We are just an agency that allots seats based on the seat matrix provided by the Medical Education Department. It is not our job to verify if colleges are functioning.”
Responding to allegations that male students were asked to report to women-only colleges, the official pointed out that the government rules mandate reserving two seats for male students at women-only nursing colleges. The complaints will be forwarded to the Medical Education Department for further action, the KEA said.