Karnataka State has decided to combine the COMEDK admission test with the State Common Entrance Test from 2023. The decision to merge the COMED-K Entrance test and Common Entrance Test (CET) by the government will ease the burden on students of writing multiple exams, besides avoiding the payment of fees for multiple examinations. This step to make one examination for Engineering courses and other professional courses except for medical courses obviously reduces the stress of multiple exam preparations. The COMEDK admission test at the national level was meant for admission to candidates from all over the country. This examination lay stress upon the candidates to write multiple examinations and unnecessary financial burden in terms of examination fees. The COMEDK is meant for admission to private-run colleges/universities only in the state. The fee level is comparatively higher, which means the colleges concerned charge 4 fold more than the fee levied by the colleges under the CET. For the past 3 years, more than 50% of the seats are lying vacant, as the demand for professional courses except medical courses has dwindled. Further many colleges have closed their shutters as they are unable to manage their academic operation.
The management of the private college associations has exerted pressure upon the state to combine COMEDK with KCET. CN Ashwath Narayan, Higher Education Minister of Karnataka has announced the proposal. Meanwhile, the seat-sharing will remain as it is now, and admission eligibility will be determined by students’ rankings in the combined CET and limit the possibilities to two attempts.
Notwithstanding, the government has to work out the modus operandi unambiguously. Further, the following issues need to be addressed meticulously.
- The fee should be unified, but not dual slab, whereas private colleges are eager to levy more, which needs to be addressed.
- Students from all India levels may also be permitted to appear for KCET; which may not be justifiable from the viewpoint of view of government.
- No private colleges are permitted to collect an extra fee, in case they collect derecognition is unavoidable
- Such other conditions deemed fit