By Violet Pereira, Team Mangalorean

Mangalore:  "The education system in the district has been controlled by the 'Tuition Mafia'", said MLA U T Khader at a press meet held at the district Congress office, Hampankatta here on June 6.

Speaking to the media, Khader said, "There are more than 300 polytechnic institutions in Karnataka in which thousands of students pursue their diploma education in various streams. About 40 per cent of diploma-holders join various engineering courses through lateral entry. According to the admission procedures of AICTE, the state admission authority shall invite applications under this category, make a separate merit list for this category and effect admissions on the basis of merit list so generated, which means that the diploma holders shall be admitted to engineering courses through lateral entry based on their marks obtained in diploma." 

He further said, "It is understood that Karnataka examination authority too has agreed to admit students based on their diploma marks through lateral entry.  There are a number of coaching institutes in Karnataka that provide coaching classes to students after collecting a huge fee. Though the authorities concerned including the KEA have not announced any exam date, the coaching classes have been going on unabated in various parts of the state, including Mangalore and Bangalore.  The coaching mafia is pressuring the authorities concerned to conduct exams as they have been conducting coaching classes."

Khader urged the government and chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda to intervene and clear the air surrounding the coaching mafia and announce their stand on the exams so that thousands of students would stand to benefit. Any delay in announcement might further burden the students, he said. 

Congress committee member Karim, T K Sudheer, Ashraf , Dinesh Rai and panchayat member Jabbar were also present.