A total of 260 of 362 Kannada speaking students from Kerala turned up for the Kannada language exam held as part of the Common Entrance Test for Horanadu and Gadinadu Kannadigas here on Saturday. The test was held between 11.30 a.m. and 12.30 p.m.
The Kannada test is written by candidates claiming eligibility for government seats under Horanadu and Gadinadu Kannadiga clauses and whose mother tongue is Kannada, Tulu, or Kodava. This is the first time the test is being held at centres outside Bengaluru.
Students, including several who are studying in pre-university colleges of Mangaluru, started to come from Kasaragod around 8 a.m. The district administration took services of 12 buses of private educational institutions to bring the students from Talapady check-post, on the borders with Kerala on the National Highway 66, to Ramakrishna Pre-University College, which was the examination centre. Students had to show e-passes issued by the Kasaragod district administration at the Kerala State check-post and subject themselves to thermal scanning before boarding buses. While all students wore masks, a few among them travelled wearing PPE kit.
Members of Dakshina Kannada Pre-University Principals’ Association were actively involved in bringing the students in buses and dropping them back to the check-post. Seven buses were used for the purpose.
The test paper was based on Class 4 level of Kannada and minimum of 12 out of 50 marks is necessary to be eligible for allotment of seats in the two categories.
The Kasaragod district administration has asked the students who appeared for the test and the accompanying parents to remain under home quarantine for seven days and undergo antigen test on August 5.
Shobith Kumar, a resident of Adyanadka and an aspirant for seat in engineering, said: “We need to bear with these norms if we need a seat (under Gadinadu category) here.”
Mr. Kumar is among the many students from neighbouring Kasaragod district, who wrote the Kannada test on Saturday.
Students had mixed reaction for the test. While Katija Mushi from Kumbla and Ammen from K.C. Road found it easy, Fathima from Kasaragod found it tough.