DC Exclusive: 1996 survey No student wanted CET in Kannada

Bengaluru: Over the last few days, ruling and opposition parties, besides a few intellectuals, are engaged in a verbal duel over the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) Under Graduate (UG) not being conducted in Kannada.

But sources in the state higher education department said that nearly two decades ago, then Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell, which has since been renamed Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA), dropped plans of preparing CET question papers in Kannada because of poor response from students.

They said that in 1996, the CET Cell conducted a state-level survey on the CET examination pattern to make it more student-friendly. Around three lakh science students of 1996-1998 batch participated in the survey.

One of the questions in the survey was which language/ languages did students prefer their question papers to be set in? To the surprise of officials, not even a single student opted for question papers in Kannada.

“CET question papers have only multiple choice questions (MCQs). The survey was conducted to popularise the CET system to attract more students to professional courses. This question was inserted to know whether students have any difficulties in writing CET, because of English question papers. But none of the students asked for CET question papers in Kannada,” an officer explained.

“Now politicians and a few writers have joined the issue with the Union government over NEET question paper not set in Kannada. This is just a publicity gimmick. All officials and politicians are clearly aware that students don’t need NEET question paper in Kannada. Still they are making an issue out of it,” he said.