BANGALORE: With the second Pre-University Courses (PUC) final examinations beginning from March 15, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri, on Tuesday, made it clear that he is unaware of what details are being published on II PU admission tickets.
Speaking to Express, he said, “I have sought the details of what has been transpired. I want to know the reason for the inclusion of caste on the admission tickets. I can take a call only after I get full details.”
“The Department has caste details of each student. These details are furnished by the students themselves, but the question is, why is this detail being printed on admission tickets,” Kageri said.
Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), alleged that the unnecessary detail on the II PUC admission tickets was the contribution of the state government to further its ‘saffronisation’ agenda. They said this could influence leniency from the invigilator, who could allow malpractices for candidates belonging to his/her caste.
When asked if revised admission tickets would be issued, Kageri remained non-committal, and said, “Nearly 5-6 lakh students have already received admission tickets. It will be difficult to issue new ones. However, I can take a decision only after I get a clear picture,” he said.
Officials in the Department of PU Education have dubbed it as a non-issue. “This seems to be a ploy to prevent the smooth-running of the exams. The admission tickets were issued 25 days ago. Why is the issue cropping up now? It is impossible to issue revised admission tickets at this point of time,” an official said.