State Lets Pre-University Colleges Set PU-1 Exam Papers, Teachers Raise Questions on Fairness and Oversight

The Karnataka school education department’s pre-university wing has issued an order transferring responsibility for first-year pre-university (PU-1) examinations to individual colleges, scheduling assessments from February 10 to 25. The directive, dated January 17, follows a series of question paper leak incidents in second-year PU preparatory exams, particularly in private institutions.

Under the new arrangement, colleges will prepare and administer their own question papers and conduct the exams independently. Educators and lecturers have questioned the decision, saying it may weaken standardisation and accountability in evaluation practices across the state. They say clear guidelines, monitoring structures, and uniform evaluation standards are needed to ensure fairness for all students.

BC Goudar, trustee of Adarsh PU Science College in Hubballi, told media that previously the board or district principals’ association handled common exams across all colleges. Goudar said the current move is likely to reduce the perceived seriousness of the PU-1 exams, leading students to treat them as lower-level tests. He noted the department did not provide model question papers or blueprints for assessment, instructing colleges only to refer to existing second-year models. Passing marks have been set at 33 percent, and up to 20 percent weight has been assigned to internal assessment. There is no mechanism to verify that colleges are conducting exams or evaluating results strictly, he said.

Goudar warned that the lack of oversight could encourage unhealthy competition among private colleges and disadvantage those that adhere to strict evaluation practices. Teachers have also expressed concern that students may be unprepared for board and competitive exams such as NEET and JEE, given the variations in question papers and assessment styles across institutions.

Educationist B Sripad Bhat from Bengaluru described the situation as symptomatic of confusion in the state education sector, noting uncertainty over the adoption of the National Education Policy versus the State Education Policy. Bhat said decentralised exams may inadvertently boost demand for coaching centres focused on second-year studies, even though such coaching-intensive systems operate outside official education rules.

The director of the department of school education (PU), Bharath S, could not be reached for comment due to official duties in the field, and his office declined to provide an official response.