Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada has recorded a drop in enrolment this year for Karnataka’s Common Entrance Test 2026, one of the state’s most important admission tests for professional degree courses, that begins on Wednesday (April 22).Karnataka Examinations Authority is conducting the CET for admissions to engineering and other professional programmes. In Dakshina Kannada, 21,489 candidates have registered this year, down from more than 22,500 in the previous edition, according to officials. Educationists attributed the decline to changing student preferences and the current employment environment. Narendra L Nayak, chairman of the Expert Group of Institutions, said interest in engineering courses has fallen because of a weak job market. Also, students targeting medical seats and premier engineering institutes such as NITs and IIITs are increasingly focusing on national-level entrance tests like NEET and JEE instead of CET, Nayak added. A head of a PU college said another factor may be the timing of JEE, which is teh admission test for premier engineering institutions such as IITs and NITs. Since one of the JEE sessions has already been held, many students now have a fair idea of their performance. Those who expect a strong result may choose not to rely on CET as an alternative route, the college head said. Officials said they also expect a higher number of absentees during the examination. The test will be conducted at 40 centres across Dakshina Kannada, compared with 43 centres last year. Despite the lower registrations and fewer venues, authorities said arrangements are being made to ensure smooth conduct of the examination. Rajeshwari HH, deputy director of the Dakshina Kannada Pre-University Education Department, said PU and degree colleges have traditionally been used as examination centres, but degree colleges have been excluded over the past couple of years. This year, however, three engineering colleges in Mangaluru have been added as venues: Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Adyar; St Joseph Engineering College, Vamanjoor; and Srinivas Institute of Technology, Valachil. The Kannada language test for Horanadu, or out-of-state, and Gadinadu, or border-region, Kannadiga candidates will be held on April 22. The main CET papers will follow on April 23 (Biology and Mathematics) and April 24 (Physics and Chemistry). Authorities said anti-malpractice measures have been strengthened in line with protocols used during recruitment examinations. All centres will be placed under strict camera surveillance, and a live webcasting system has been set up to monitor every examination hall.
