The Karnataka Pre-University Education Department has stated that it will ask PU colleges in the state to do away with differential cut-off marks for boys and girls. A notice issued by the PU Education Department of the state government on Monday stated that students should be admitted as per merit. "In the guidelines issued to PU colleges for the year 2019-20, the seat matrix suggested that seats for girls and boys should be equal at 50%. But in the coming days, the department will issue a notice stating that seats should be given based on merit," the notice said.
The notice comes days after it emerged that pre-university colleges in Bengaluru had set a higher cut-off mark for girls seeking admission. The colleges had cited the guidelines issued by the PU Education Department ahead of the 2019-20 academic year.
"The guidelines were brought in around five years ago in order to encourage colleges to enroll girl students. We have come to know that this is being misused to deny students seats. We will be rectifying this soon," confirmed C Shikha, Director of the PU Department.
According to a report in the Times of India, the cut off for boys in Bengaluru's MES and Christ Junior Colleges were less than what it was for girls opting for the same stream. The higher cutoff for girls was deemed necessary to maintain 'gender balance' in the college.
However, legal experts told TNM that such rules are not only discriminatory but also illegal.