Now, CET coaching to begin in govt PU colleges too

Dharwad: For students in rural areas aspiring to become engineers and doctors, the government’s pre-university (PU) colleges could soon become more than just places for regular classroom learning. The state government has decided to introduce Common Entrance Test (CET) coaching in 200 government colleges in the first phase, opening up an additional avenue for students who otherwise depend on expensive private coaching.The initiative is aimed at helping students from rural and economically weaker backgrounds compete with their counterparts from private colleges, while also encouraging more students to pursue professional courses in engineering, medicine and other technical fields.According to officials, CET coaching will initially be offered in 200 government PU colleges across the State. The programme will subsequently be expanded to other colleges based on student response and its effectiveness.DDPU Tejasvini Narayankar said the training of PU lecturers handling Science subjects had already been completed. As many as 1,500 lecturers have undergone training, and 200 colleges have been identified to conduct CET coaching alongside the regular classes.Offline, online coachingStudents who have opted for Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology will receive regular coaching in these subjects. Offline classes will be conducted in the 200 identified colleges, including 12 colleges in Dharwad district, while online coaching will be made available to students in 574 colleges.The coaching sessions will be held for 90 minutes every day after regular college hours. The programme will not be limited to CET preparation alone, with students also being trained to appear for other competitive examinations.For many students in rural areas, the lack of access to specialised coaching and learning facilities has long been a barrier to entering professional courses. Officials in the Department of PU Education said several students are forced to opt for private colleges and coaching centres because of the additional academic support available there.Students aspiring to become doctors and engineers often have to spend considerably more money on coaching to compete with students from private institutions.The government hopes that the new initiative will help bridge this gap by bringing structured CET preparation closer to students in government colleges.Strengthening govt collegesThe coaching programme is part of a broader effort to strengthen government higher education institutions. Modern libraries, computer laboratories, hi-tech laboratories and other learning facilities are also being upgraded in government first grade colleges.The efforts appear to be generating a positive response. Officials said government colleges recorded around 45,000 new admissions this year, indicating growing interest among students in pursuing higher education in government institutions.With CET coaching now being brought into the classroom, government colleges are seeking to ensure that a student’s location or financial background does not become a barrier to pursuing a professional career.Tejasvini Narayankar, DDPU DharwadThe training of PU lecturers handling Science subjects has already been completed. As many as 1500 lecturers have undergone training and 200 colleges across the state have been identified to conduct CET coaching alongside the regular classes.

Source: Deccan Herald