Bengaluru: The University of Mysore (UoM), the nodal agency identified by the University Grants Commission (UGC) to conduct the Karnataka State Eligibility Test (KSET), is unlikely to hold the test this year as it is yet to get the renewal from UGC.
The test, which is on the lines of National Eligibility Test (NET), is crucial for lakhs of aspirant who want to become lecturers and professors at universities and aided, private and government PU and first grade colleges in the state.
The Mysore University conducts the test in December every year after publishing the notification in October. The applications are received in November when the question papers and syllabus for more than 39 subjects too are set.
As the renewal was pending this year, the university could neither notify the test nor receive the applications, leading to a flood of calls from anxious aspirants. The university had been conducting this exam successfully over the last seven years as it had got the approval in the previous two terms.
A source said that the university applied for the renewal in June after getting a recommendation from the State Higher Education Department, but it is yet to be approved by the UGC.
K-SET Coordinator Prof H.M. Rajashekhar said that they are expecting a UGC committee to visit the university to assess and renew their status. Once done, they can conduct KSET as early as possible.
On the other side, Bangalore and Mangalore universities too have sought approval from the UGC to conduct the test. But the UGC will grant the permission only after evaluating all the facilities and infrastructure.
The Mysore University is likely to get the UGC approval as it has the infrastructure, evaluation facilities and the track record of conducting the test transparently over the last seven years, sources said.
KSET is a tough nut to crack, going by the test results. Of the 65,849 candidates who appeared for the test in December last year, only 3,338 passed. In 2016, 7.2 per cent candidates passed, while in 2017, only 4,800 of the 75,000 candidates got the eligibility, the sources said.
The exam is conducted for 39 subjects, including chemistry, mathematics, life sciences, Kannada, commerce, mass communication and journalism.
The UGC, for the first time since the K-SET started, allowed students in the first year post-graduation to appear for the test in December 2018. Earlier, only second year students were allowed.
‘Make Mysore varsity a permanent centre’
“I hope that the UGC will give permission to the University of Mysore to continue to hold this test and declare the university as the permanent nodal agency for the test as we have maintained a good track record over the last seven years. We can conduct the exam in February 2020 after setting question papers for the revised syllabus, if the UGC gives us the approval,” said Prof H.M. Rajashekhar ,Coordinator K-SET, UoM.
