Barely 1.5% make it to medical colleges via CET

BANGALORE: Last summer, over 1.15 lakhcandidates appeared for the Common Entrance Test __ Karnataka's largest exam forprofessional courses __ nursing traditional dreams of becoming a doctor or anengineer. At the end of the rigorous, but fair selection process, barely 2,000of them managed to bag the coveted MBBS seat under the government quota. Simplyput, just 1.5% of the aspirants make it to the medical colleges via the stateCET.While it is a problem of plenty in engineering courses, it isvirtually a slugfest for medical courses in the state. Although Karnataka boastsof the second highest number of medical colleges in the country, afterMaharashtra, just about a quarter of them are state-run. Despite the soaringdemand, the government hasn't started any new medical college in the last fouryears. A marginal increase in the number of CET aspirants and an overwhelmingly good performance from ISC students could send the cut-offs soaring this time. "I am aware of the aspirations of the youth to become doctors. Although we are not starting new government medical colleges, we have made arrangements for increasing the intake of the existing colleges. Seats in some of the colleges will be doubled," said S A Ramadass, medical education minister. The 10 government colleges have a meagre intake of 1,100 seats.The situation is no different in private medical colleges in the state. Consortium of Medical Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (Comed-K) which has around 11 medical and 25 dental colleges, too, has recorded an increase in the number of aspirants. From around 24,000 candidates, the MBBS/BDS aspirants have risen close to 30,000 this year. The consortium has 1,415 medial seats and 1,580 dental seats on offer.The deadlock overthe engineering fees continuing, talks of retaining last year's fee structureand seat-sharing ratio for medical/dental courses have been put on the backburner. "If the engineering fees is going to be increased, there is no point inwithholding the hike for medical courses. How can BE fees be more than MBBSfees? Unless the engineering fees is fixed, we will not sign consensualagreement for medical courses," a Comed-K member said. Last year, 42% of theseats in private non-minority colleges were filled through CET. Ramadass hasalso promised to bite into 25% increased seats in the the nine deemeduniversities. "Some of the deemed universities do not want to share sreeats withthe government and have gone to court. Wherever there will be an increasedintake, we will ensure 25% of additional seats will be surrendered to thegovernment," he said.