Reshma Ravishanker

Much before even the commencement of board exams in Karnataka, pre-university colleges have begun offering students back door entry for admissions on the basis of their pre-board and grade IX final exam scores or interviews.

Several private PU colleges in the state have already started admitting students, commenced bridge courses and also orally confirmed seats to students while they await class 10 results only as a formality. Ideally, admissions are to be completed after the state’s PU department announces a calendar of events for the academic year. 

The BJP-run state government has been postponing the SSLC (class 10 exams for state board students) exams due to the second wave of Covid-19. The exams were previously scheduled to begin on June 21 and no announcement has been made in this regard yet. CBSE, however, announced the cancellation of exams for class 10 students, and the tabulation of results is underway.

One of the private PU colleges located in south Bengaluru has not only distributed students application forms but also assured many of them seats orally based on their CBSE class IX finals and class X pre-board scores.

“There is so much uncertainty that students are not sure if they will lose a year because of the delay in the announcement of results. The college told us to pay a basic part of the application fee upfront. We are told that a boot camp would be conducted later in June, for which about 30 % of the college fee is to be paid. Anyone paying this fee is assured a seat in the college,” said Shakir (name changed), one of the students.

Some private colleges have also given provisional admissions and asked students to attend bridge courses online that are set to commence in the end of June.

In yet another college in Jayanagar, an applicant said that admissions were being done based on their performance in a face-to-face interview with the principal. “They will only wait for results as a formality. I got a call from the admissions office that the only parameter for admission will be the performance in the interview. If we pay the fee and fail to pass exams, how will we manage? We do not know if we are eligible for a refund either,” said Savitha, one of the students.

With PU colleges commencing admissions already, state board students feel that they are at a certain disadvantage with respect to admissions due to the slow decision-making abilities of the state government.

“I have a number of colleges in mind. Depending on the marks I want to apply for a college. State board students are under a lot of pressure this year. There is uncertainty over exams, whether we will pass is a question. Colleges are also going ahead with their own norms for admission and it is unfair for us,” rued Prakruthi, a student associated with the AIDSO.

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