The state higher education department and deemed universities in the state could be heading for a showdown.
The higher education department has issued a warning to the seven deemed universities in the state to provide 25% seat reservation for Karnataka students, failing which no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued to them would be withdrawn.
Every year, while conducting the CET, the state government directs the deemed universities to provide 25% UG engineering seats to eligible CET students from the state by offering those seats through the government quota. But most of the institutions don’t bother to oblige. Now, the higher education department has decided to cancel the NOCs.
State higher education minister CT Ravi, said, “We have been observing the attitude of some of the deemed universities. This time we will not let them off the hook.”
Sources in the higher education department said the deemed universities had taken a conditional undertaking while being granted NOCs for setting up their institutions that 25% seats would be reserved for students from Karnataka. “This time we have received strict instructions from the minister (CT Ravi) to withdraw NOCs if they do not provide the seats,” said a senior official from the department.
He explained the measures the government planned to take. "If the deemed universities want to enhance their number of seats, they have to approach the AICTE. But that is done through the higher education department. At that time they apply for Eligibility Certificate (EC)/ Feasibility Certificate (FC). If they resist providing seats to students from the state, we will just not give them the ECs/FCs."
As per information available with the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), three out of seven universities are not providing seats, because of which KEA is losing around 300 seats every year.
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