Karnataka Examinations Authority unveils college portal, mobile app, AI chatbot to streamline student services
The Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) launched three digital initiatives—a college portal, a mobile App, and a chatbot—Monday to streamline processes for students. Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar inaugurated the tools during a ceremony at the Higher Education Council's seminar hall, commending KEA for leveraging technology to provide timely, accurate information and reduce reliance on intermediaries.
The college portal centralises information to assist students in selecting colleges before the application process. Previously, students relied on fragmented sources, often leading to uninformed decisions and subsequent requests for changes. Colleges can now upload details directly, including infrastructure, academic environment, labs, libraries, classrooms, hostels, course fees, and faculty profiles.
The portal also features a complaint mechanism to report colleges charging excessive fees, with grievances forwarded to the fee regulation committee. 'This portal empowers students to make informed decisions and avoid issues,' said Minister Sudhakar.
KEA also introduced its first mobile application, designed for user-friendliness, particularly for rural students who previously relied on cyber centres, often resulting in errors during application and seat allocation. The app mirrors the KEA website's functionalities, enabling application submissions, option entry, choice selection, and fee payments. Push notifications keep candidates updated.
'The app allows candidates to manage most procedures independently,' the minister noted.
Meanwhile, powered by artificial intelligence, the KEA chatbot provides instant responses to student queries. Since its soft launch, it has served over 1.35 lakh users, offering accurate information based on official KEA data. This reduces the need for in-person visits or external assistance. Currently available in English, a Kannada version is slated for release within a month. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) manages the chatbot system.
Minister Sudhakar also announced that the government will revise engineering colleges' skill-based training fee structure after evaluating training programmes next year. Some colleges have been charging for new modules, prompting the review.
The Consortium of Medical, Engineering and Dental Colleges of Karnataka (COMEDK) will commence its seat allotment only after the KEA's first round concludes. The government is also considering reducing fees for unfilled engineering seats in government and aided colleges, with a decision pending an enrollment review.
Citing a Telangana court ruling restricting computer science seat increases, the minister said Karnataka is assessing a similar approach. On the ongoing seat-blocking scam, he confirmed that police investigations are active, with further details to be sought from the police commissioner.
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