Second pre-university (PU) students aspiring for seats in professional courses through their Common Entrance Test (CET) rank are unhappy as being asked to physically report to various offices in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic to obtain their study certificates.
A parent of a second PU student said, “We have to visit the school and offices of the Block Education Officer during the COVID-19 pandemic to get the study certificates. This is a health risk to students and their parents who accompany them.”
The information required to issue the certificates, which show that a student has completed seven years of education in Karnataka, is already available in the Student Achievement Tracking System (SATS) database. Parents are demanding that the Department of Primary and Secondary Education use those records to issue study certificates.
According to a parent of a II PU student, “Officials of the Department of Primary and Secondary Education should engage in a dialogue with the Karnataka Examinations Authority to use the existing records, and do away with the study certificates.”
The certificate has to be produced by all students who are appearing for counselling through the CET and want to obtain a seat under the Karnataka government quota. It is issued by the head of the institution and needs to be countersigned by the Block Education Officer or the Deputy Director of Public Instruction.
Students have to physically collect the signed certificate from their school, and then get another signature from the BEO or deputy director.
Students of schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education or the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) are not required to obtain the counter signature.
Venkat Raju, Executive Director of KEA, said that the purpose of demanding study certificates is to ensure that students who have studied in Karnataka for seven years have an advantage over their counterparts from other places while applying for government quota seats. “In the past, we have seen students who have studied in Karnataka for barely two or three years apply for government quota seats, which they are not eligible for. Our process is designed to ensure that only deserving candidates are able to avail of the benefit,” he said.
When asked if the data could be sourced directly from SATS, he said that he would discuss this option with the Commissioner for Public Instruction.
