Paper leak, NEET row gave tense moments for PU students

The year 2016 was a chaotic one for the education sector in the state. The worst sufferers were students of II PU science stream.

In just 10 days, the Chemistry question paper leaked twice, forcing the government to hand over the case to the CID. Obalaraju, personal assistant of Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil, was among those arrested in the case.

The introduction of National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to professional courses also created confusion in the students’ minds. Even as students were writing their examination, evaluators went on a strike, seeking a pay hike. The department invited the wrath of parents for using the services of retired lecturers and school teachers for the evaluation. This was soon followed by a protest by high school teachers, who had similar demands of better pay.

Students faced tense moments as they were unsure whether the Common Entrance Test for medical courses would be valid or not, following the Supreme Court order that NEET should be the sole entrance exam. The state had already conducted the CET and sought that NEET be considered only from the next academic year.

It was just days before the exam that they were told Comed-K for medical courses has been scrapped. Confusion also prevailed over seat allocation in government and private colleges.

The year also saw the trifurcation of the Bangalore University being approved and the process for this initiated. IIT Dharwad became functional in 2016. Sharanprakash Patil announced the starting of new medical colleges in Karwar, Madikeri, and Chamarajanagar.

Framing of the new National Education Policy was debated extensively among child rights activists. Tanveer Sait replaced Kimmane Ratnakar as the minister for primary and secondary education. The higher education portfolio also changed hands, from T B Jayachandra to Basavaraja Rayareddy.

At end of the year, a new controversy cropped up over conducting NEET in Kannada. The state is blaming the Centre for not including Kannada as one of the languages for NEET. But Union Health Minister J P Nadda blamed the state for keeping quiet, when asked if there was a need to conduct the test in Kannada.

High on lows

Second PU Chemistry question paper leaked twice
Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil’s assistant Oblaraju was arrested along with kingpin Shivakumaraiah in the question paper leak scam
PU lecturers and SSLC teachers boycotted valuation seeking better compensation

The confusion over NEET/CET for medical seats gave tense moments for students

Comed-K test for medical was cancelled at the eleventh- hour, leaving thousands of students in a quandary

NRI students who had opted for CET or NEET were told to surrender their seats till the Supreme Court decided on the issue.