AICTE to allow doubling of seats in colleges with a more than 4 year record
Following is an except from a report in expressbuzz.com.
As per AICTE’s decision, all degree and diploma technical institutes, which have completed four years, can double their students intake without having to augment the existing infrastructure.
In plain words, they can run a second shift because they have facility which are otherwise underutilised.
Going by the current scenario in Orissa, there are approximately 57 private engineering colleges with an approved intake of 22,000 seats in engineering disciplines, 3,000 in MCA classes and another 3,000 for MBA programmes. Then there are diploma institutes.
Of the 57 colleges, about 30 have completed four years and more which means they will be entitled to run the second shift. A conservative estimate would put the number of seats in second shift at 15,000.
The decision has come as a pleasant surprise for the engineering colleges which stand to gain the most.
For the students, it could be mean more opportunities to get an engineering degree.
‘More seats will mean more students can enrol in engineering courses and it is a good news for all those willing to pursue technical education,’ Orissa Private Engineering Colleges Association chairman Binod Dash said.
The existing facilities remain idle in many technical institutes in the State and the second shift would be able to utilise the same.
Addition of 15,000 students would not be a burden for the colleges, Dash said. Moreover, the teaching faculty would stand to gain, he added.
However, addition of 15,000 seats would also mean more work for the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Committee which holds the test.
The million dollar question is will the addition benefit technical education? ‘Such a decision has taken me by surprise. It only makes business sense to me,’ said a member of the JEE Committee.
Given the AICTE assumption that existing facilities can be used for second shift means teaching faculty members would have to put in double the work if private institutes choose not to augment their number.
‘If facilities are remaining idle in the technical institutes, we had suggested in the past that the same can be used to train ITI and polytechnic students,’ said the official.
Besides, one of the most important issues will be employability of students who pass out every year.
‘Not many parent would send their wards to general colleges anymore but it remains to be seen how many would get jobs at the end,’ head of an institute said.
The AICTE decision will affect new colleges since more seats will now be available in old and established institutes which may prompt the former to cut down on their fees, another insider said.
3 comments November 13th, 2008
