Uncertainty over the Common Entrance Test (CET) 2014 has denied rural students an opportunity of getting coaching to crack CET 2014.
The rural coaching scheme of the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) to train the rural students to tackle CET was supposed to take off by this time. But, till today there is no mention on this.
When inquired, the sources from KEA said, the process is still at the level of tendering. As per the information available from KEA, for CET 2013, the rural coaching was scheduled in two phases, one in January and second in April. “The dates have already been announced for CET 2014. As the final exams are starting from March 12, the students will have hardly one month there after to get prepared for CET,” said a source from KEA.
According to the officials, the reason for not starting the coaching is the delay in signing the consensual agreement between government and private professional colleges. “Even if the matter is settled by this week, it would be delayed to start the coaching as PU exams are going on,” the source in the Department said.
The CET 2014 is scheduled to held on May 1, 2 and 3. Every year, KEA used to provide coaching for rural students through Doordarshan (DD) in two sessions. One in the morning and second in the evening.
In 2010, when the scheme was introduced, KEA conducted it through Satellite. Following the complaints from students to reach the taluk centres to attend the classes, switched over it to DD.
Coaching in Previous Years
In 2010, Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) handed over the responsibility to conduct the coaching to a private company for Rs 12 crore and the coaching was conducted via satellite.
For the purpose, 110 centres were opened across the state where coaching was provided during weekends.
In 2011, the then KEA executive director V Rashmi decided to stop the coaching through satellite and hand it over to DD and named it as VIKASANA programme.
According to KEA officials, Rashmi wanted to save money and help the students get coaching by sitting at home. As per the statistics available with KEA, the coaching through DD helped KEA save around Rs 10 crore.
Even in 2013, coaching was conducted through DD. In 2013, coaching conducted between January 19 to 28: First phase. April 1 to 30: Second phase