Higher edu council proposes entrance test for PG courses

In a bid to raise the bar for those seeking admission to postgraduate courses at state-run universities, the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) is proposing an entrance examination. If approved, the entrance test could be held for students seeking admission to courses scheduled to commence this September. 

The proposal, drafted by KSHEC, has already been submitted to the government, and is likely to be discussed at a meeting, to be chaired by Minister for Higher Education Dr M C Sudhakar, scheduled on August 1. 

The proposal is aimed at reviving a system that had been in place till about 10 years ago; in fact, a few varsities such as the University of Mysore (UoM) still conduct entrance tests for PG courses. Most state-run universities, however, enrol students based on their performance in the undergraduate courses. 

A section of stakeholders is vociferously backing the proposal, the implementation of which they believe will help enhance the quality of those passing out of state-run varsities across the board. On the other hand, vice-chancellor of some of the newly created varsities fear an entrance test could result in a decline in enrolment. 

“There is no clarity on whether the proposed examination will be Common University Entrance Test, under the University Grants Commission (UGC), a Centralised Common Entrance Test meant only for enrolment to state-run varsities, or if it will be a university-level test. Whichever way, I feel it will impact admissions,” said the vice-chancellor of a state-run university. 

In fact, poor admission rate is among the leading reasons why state-run varsities embraced merit-based enrolment.

Lamenting the lack of interest among students for a few PG programmes, another vice-chancellor said that the varsity had received only four applications for its PG course in journalism, despite the fact that the varsity does not conduct an entrance test for aspirants. 

Vice-chancellor of Bengaluru North University Niranjan Vanalli, while admitting that the entrance test would help test the abilities of the students seeking admission, was also quick to echo concerns raised by his peers.

“The UGC has also insisted on conducting entrance tests to PG courses, but a drop in admissions forced universities to shun the exercise. I agree that entrance tests improve the quality of graduates, but we also need to think about demand,” he added.