CET exam: State govt extends 4-day quarantine relaxation for students

Bengaluru: Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Karnataka government on Tuesday decided to conduct the Common Entrance Test (CET) on July 30 and 31 across the state. For the smooth conduct of exams, the government has extended a four-day quarantine relaxation for students and their parents or guardians from outside the state and country.

Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Higher Education Dr C N Ashwath Narayan told reporters that the government would take precautionary measures to conduct the CET as it did during the SSLC examination.

His department said in a statement that 1.95 lakh students will write the CET exams at 120 places in 497 centres across the state. The Kannada Test for students from the border regions in neighbouring states will be held on August 1, Dr Narayan said.

In Bengaluru City, 40,200 students will write CET in 83 centres. Thirty foreign students will also take the exam. The Deputy Chief Minister said the department has taken all precautionary measures and has framed the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to conduct the exams.

Thermal screening, wearing of masks and physical distance will be strictly followed. The exam centres will be sanitised two days prior to the exam dates.

“The state government has also decided that those students who are tested positive for Covid-19 can also be given the opportunity to write the exam. However, there will be separate rooms arranged for them. Students who show symptoms of cough and cold will also be made to write the exam separately. Arrangements will be made for ambulances as well as transport facilities at all centres,” he said.

Bus transport has also been organised all over the state, he said.

Speaking about four-day quarantine relaxation for students Dr Narayan said there was no need to panic as they had undergone all kinds of tests in view of Covid-19. Dr Narayan said 188 students from border districts of neighbouring states will write the CET exam and they could do so at centres in border areas, not having to come to Bengaluru, as all arrangements had been made there.

The state government has decided to postpone the PG-CET and Diploma-CET exams as the final year exams are yet to be held for those students, he said.

As scheduled, the PG-CET and Diploma-CET exams were to be held on August 8 and August 9, respectively. The fresh dates will be decided after the final year exams of the PG and Diploma courses will be held, Dr Narayan added.