Mangaluru: Karnataka will shift its free entrance exam coaching programme for science students in govt and aided PU colleges from online to offline mode from the coming academic year.Department of pre-university education (DPUE) has sent a proposal to the govt seeking approval for the change, aimed at improving preparation for CET, NEET, JEE and other competitive examinations.Under the new plan, coaching will be conducted within colleges by existing PU lecturers, who will undergo special training before taking charge of the programme.Launched in Nov 2024, the initiative was earlier conducted online through a Mumbai-based private coaching institute selected via a tender process. Though the programme concluded a few months ago and concerns were raised over its possible discontinuation, officials said it would continue with major changes.“The biggest change would be the shift from online to offline coaching. PU college faculty will take charge of the programme after receiving training,” Bharath S, director of DPUE, Bengaluru, told TOI.He said a hybrid model was being considered for colleges with fewer science students, though a final decision was yet to be taken.Bharath said earlier results were not encouraging as coaching began only a few months before the academic year ended, limiting benefits for students who appeared for entrance exams in May 2025. The department is now expecting better outcomes in the current cycle.The free coaching initiative targets science students from financially weaker backgrounds in govt and aided PU colleges and is held outside regular class hours.
