The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has announced that the Common Entrance Test (CET) will be mandatory for B.Sc. Nursing courses in the state, following the recommendation of the Indian Nursing Council. Online applications for CET-2023 will be open from April 14 for three days.
Ramya S., Executive Director of KEA, stated, “The government has made CET mandatory for B.Sc. Nursing courses entrance in the State. We will announce the notification and re-release the CET online application from April 14 for three days. We will conduct counseling, announce the seat matrix, and allot the government and management quota seats for the course from this year.”
Previously, B.Sc. Nursing seats in Karnataka were allotted by KEA without any entrance test, with only 20% of government quota seats being allotted based on marks obtained in II PU science courses. However, to enhance the quality of nursing education, the Indian Nursing Council has decided to allocate B.Sc. Nursing course seats through CET starting from the academic year 2023-24. The proposal was sent to all State governments for implementation.
“The Indian Nursing Council has made CET mandatory for B.Sc. Nursing courses and instructed to implement it in the State. We referred this notice to the State government and it will be implemented,” said K. Ravi, Director for Directorate of Medical Education.
Conducting CET for B.Sc. Nursing courses is expected to help curb fake and unauthorized nursing colleges and prevent capitation mafia in the State. As per KEA data, there are 498 registered nursing colleges in Karnataka offering approximately 35,000 nursing seats. Previously, KEA allotted a total of 7,332 government quota seats (20%) and the remaining seats were filled by nursing institutions as management quota seats.
However, there have been allegations of private nursing institutions operating in an unauthorized manner in the State. The State Health Ministry has identified around 850 nursing colleges in Karnataka, out of which 352 colleges are running illegally. To address this issue, the Health Ministry has established a committee to review all these institutions.
