After the decade-long debate over the low quality of engineers being produced in India, AICTE, the governing body has finally woken up. AICTE has finally decided to slash 6,00,000 engineering seats in various engineering colleges in the country. The decision has been taken because of the declining quality of engineering graduates as well as the problem of vacant seats. According to the AICTE Chairperson, the authority seeks to reduce the current 16.7 lakhs seats by 40% in number in the next coming years.
80% of Engineers Unemployable
As per a 2015 survey, nearly 80% of the engineering graduates lack the basic skill and talent required by employers. The survey was conducted by Aspiring Minds association on 1,50,000 engineering graduates of over 850 colleges. As per city based data, the national capital, Delhi, came out as a clear winner, followed by Bengaluru and other western states. If we consider this data to be true, then out of 16.7 lakh engineering graduates, only 3.34 lakhs can be considered employable. A horrific figure indeed !!
Vacant Seats
According to various sources and figures, nearly 550 engineering departments have already closed down in 2015. Also, nearly 1,500 are currently seeking permission for closing down their respective engineering departments. All these figures stem from the growing number of vacant seats in various colleges across the country. Many institutes as old as a decade are recurring heavy losses due to decreasing admissions in the country. As per the Joint seat allocation authority (JoSAA), nearly 1500 seats are vacant in the 32 NITs across the country. Nearly, 100 seats still lie vacant in the premier IIT family after six rounds of counseling. Addressing this serious issue of vacant seats, some private institutions as old as 50 years, have lowered the bar to fill these seats.
Poor Infrastructure
Many of the institutions in the country lack the basic infrastructure prescribed by AICTE for engineering courses. These basic immunities range from Hostels, Mess to Laboratories and classrooms. One such institution is the 8th oldest engineering institute in the country – UVCE, Bangalore. Established by Sir M. Visvesvaraya in 1917 and after being one of the finest institutes in the country, the institute still lacks basic hostel and classrooms. Some of the classrooms even lack fans and lights in the rooms. Apart from UVCE, certain private colleges even operate from residential buildings !!
As of 2016, India has nearly 3,500 engineering institutions, with a production capacity of 16.7 lakhs students every year. This number is twice the total population of our neighbor Bhutan. The AICTE currently seems determined to improve the quality of engineering education in the country. However, the authority has stated that the students will not be at the receiving end of this debacle.
