Bengaluru: A government pre-university college student has secured a spot in the top 10 ranks of the Karnataka Common Entrance Test (CET) this year. Basavaraj Avati from Vijayapura achieved rank 4 in veterinary sciences, marking a rare feat for a student from a government institution. In contrast, all other rank holders across the seven streams of the CET hail from private colleges.
Government College Students in Top Ranks
According to data released by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA), only 12 engineering students from government PU colleges made it to the top 1,000 ranks. Among these, five are from Bengaluru Urban, two each from Dakshina Kannada and Uttara Kannada, and one each from Chitradurga, Kalaburgi, and Mysuru. In other streams, the representation of government college students in the top 1,000 includes 15 in BNYS (Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences), 13 in agriculture, 11 in pharmacy, and 10 each in veterinary sciences and nursing.
Performance in Higher Ranks
In the top 5,000 ranks, the number of government college students varies from 39 in veterinary sciences to 53 in engineering. For the top 10,000 ranks, a total of 108 government college students were featured. Among rural students, only 79 made it to the top 1,000, 499 to the top 5,000, and 1,292 to the top 10,000. Furthermore, just nine students from Kannada medium schools are in the top 1,000, 75 in the top 5,000, and 226 in the top 10,000.
Online Coaching Initiative
The Department of Pre-University Education had arranged online CET coaching for students of government PU colleges to help them prepare for the competitive exam. This initiative aimed to bridge the gap between government and private institutions.
Controversy Over Janivara and Retest
A controversy erupted during the CET when three students were asked to remove their janivara (sacred thread) to appear for the exam. The KEA offered a retest for the one paper they were stopped from taking. However, the students demanded a retest for all papers, which was turned down by the KEA. As a result, their marks were generated based on the average of the papers they had already written.
