Demand for MBA, MCA, MTech courses declining in Karnataka: Report
Bengaluru: The demand for MBA, MCA and MTech courses in the state is showing a downward trend, with at least 50% of the seats going vacant after the completion of all rounds of counselling by the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA).
This year, a total of 38,418 seats were available across all three courses, but 19,771 seats remained vacant by the end of the counselling process. In comparison, 15,670 seats were left unfilled in 2024, as reported by Deccan Herald on Friday.
In an attempt to address the vacancy issue, KEA conducted a third round of counselling for the first time, but it did little to help fill the seats.
“This year, even the number of available seats increased compared to last year. There were a total of 38,418 seats available as against the 36,648 seats in 2024,” DH quoted an official of KEA as saying.
Experts attribute the decline in demand to delays in the counselling process. An expert, quoted by DH, said that although the PGCET was conducted three months ago, the counselling was held in October. “But by then, the private universities had completed the admissions by conducting their own entrance tests,” the expert added.
KEA officials, however, reportedly clarified that the delay in counselling was due to the late arrival of the seat matrix, not inefficiencies within the authority.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
