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B Pharma colleges in U.P: Tech edu dept to verify records, infra of institutes
The U.P. technical education department will check the infrastructure and land records of 401 B Pharma institutions affiliated with AKTU to ensure quality of education. The department may cancel the no objection certification if institutions fail to comply with government norms. The number of pharmacy colleges in India has increased, with experts expressing concern over the rate at which they are cropping up.
The U.P. technical education department will scrutinise documents relating to land records, existing classrooms, infrastructure, etc of the 401 B Pharma institutions affiliated to the Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU) in the state. The department will also check if they are meeting all other infrastructure prerequisites.
Prof JP Pandey, vice-chancellor, AKTU, said, “The technical education department will carry out this exercise only to ensure that the quality of education is maintained in these institutions so that students do not suffer. They have sent a letter to the university and a proforma that will be adhered to in the verification process of B Pharma institutions.”
There were 104 pharmacy colleges affiliated to AKTU in the 2017-18 session. The number increased to 401 by 2022-23. The department felt that it is imperative to verify the infrastructure available in these institutions.
Annavi Dinesh Kumar, special secretary, technical education, has written a letter in this regard. The department may even cancel the no objection certification (NOC) given in the past to the institutions if they have not been able to comply with the norms set for the institutions by the government, an official said.
“Pharmacy institutes have rarely complained of seats lying vacant, unless they are new. Students have a lot of options to branch out once they complete their graduation [in pharmacy] and it’s easy to apply for higher education,” said a professor of pharmacy.
He said that fierce competition in other health science sectors has also contributed to the popularity of pharmacy courses. “The competition for medical seats is so strong at present that more and more students are opting for pharmacy courses after failing to get a seat in medicine. This has led to many new institutes. Generally, around 50% of the batch is easily placed in the placement season, while the rest pursue higher education,” an official said, adding that in some cases, placements are much better in pharmacy colleges as compared to some engineering colleges.
While pharmacy institutes are positive that they will continue to attract students year after year, experts have expressed concern over the rate at which these institutes are cropping up, especially in states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
While the number of seats across India for degree and diploma pharmacy courses increased to 2,62,698 in 2019-20 from 2,04,951 in 2018-19, the number of institutes rose to 3,276 in 2019-20 from 2,306 in 2018-19. The intake capacity of pharmacy institutes across the country, for degree and diploma courses, has gone up by nearly 30% in 2019-20 as compared to 2018-19, suggests data from the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
“Pharmacy has been trending for the past two years. The AICTE approved many new pharmacy institutes in recent times. We’ve been very strict with our rules and only approved those colleges which have appropriate infrastructure and staff,” said an official.
