Education

KEA to Hold Principal Exams on Nov 20 and 22 Despite Request for Postponement

By Raghava M.

The Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) has confirmed that the written examination for direct recruitment to the post of principal of government PU colleges will take place on November 20 and 22, as originally scheduled. The exam is part of a process to fill 216 Grade‑A principal vacancies out of a total of 870. Lecturers who have served in a college for more than ten years are eligible to sit for the test. A lecturer from a government PU college in Mangaluru, who has served more than 15 years and is set to appear, said that the preparation window has been short since the KEA issued the notification on September 3. Candidates must write papers on Kannada, General Studies and Karnataka Civil Services Rules (KCSR). The KCSR paper is lengthy and requires at least a month of study. The Karnataka State PU College Lecturers’ Association submitted a representation to postpone the exam by one month, but the KEA has decided to proceed as planned. Ninge Gowda, President of the association, noted that the last date for filing applications was October 30 and that the KEA should normally schedule the exam 90 days after the final application deadline. He said that the association had also sent requests to Additional Chief Secretary Rashmi Mahesh and KEA Director H. Prasanna. An association office‑bearer added that there are no minimum marks; the highest‑scoring candidates will be selected for the vacancies. Mr. Prasanna confirmed that the KEA will conduct the written examination as scheduled, with 2,839 candidates expected to appear. Published – November 02, 2026 02:55 pm IST