Karnataka's higher education system can't conduct online exams, says Deputy Chief Minister

Karnataka's higher education system cannot hold its annual examinations online, Deputy Chief Minister CN Ashwatha Narayan on Monday said.

Narayan, who also holds the portfolio of higher education, said there was a demand from sections of parents and students to hold exams through the online mode in view of the increase in Covid-19 cases, but it was not possible to do that in the present examination system.

In the present examination system, established by the government over a period of time, they can conduct exams only in offline mode. Only a few deemed universities might be able to do online exams, he said.


The Minister said the schedule for degree, post-graduation, diploma, and engineering examinations had been slightly affected due to the ongoing bus strike. The government will resume exams soon after the strike ends, he said.

Physical classes too will start once the pandemic subsides. Students can, of course, choose between offline or online classes. But attending either of the two is a must, Narayan said.

The academic year 2021-22 will start with online classes in the initial stage, he said.