by reciprocal arrrangement with Star of Mysore

Bangalore, Feb 16: Hitherto, Horanadu Kannadigas (those staying outside Karnataka) whose mother tongue was Kannada, Kodava or Tulu, were eligible to pick a seat through the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell. They had to just pass a simple test to prove that they could read and write Kannada.

The Education Department has now made it mandatory that the father of a Horanadu Kannadiga should have been born and studied in the State. If the candidate’s mother had studied in State it will not qualify the candidate.

If the candidate has a single parent (mother), documentary evidence should be produced to prove that the father was born and had studied in the State. The new clause is expected to rake a controversy when gender equality is the call of the day. Last year, more than 1,000 Horanadu Kannadigas had applied for the test. Education Department officials explain that father’s domicile in the State is important as the candidate tend to come back and settle in the State.

The case is not true in the case of mothers they opine.