New engineering colleges fewer than those allowed to shut across India

From 15.48 lakh approved intake capacity in engineering institutes, the number this year stands at 12.86 lakh across 2,978 institutes around the country

The process of approval of new institutes recently ended at the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and for the first time in nearly half a decade, the number of new institutes is lower than the number of institutes allowed to shut shop for the 2021-22 academic year. This also meant that the intake capacity in engineering colleges across the country stands at its lowest in the past 10 years. From 15.48 lakh approved intake capacity in engineering institutes, the number this year stands at 12.86 lakh across 2,978 institutes around the country.

AICTE this year approved the closure of 63 institutes.

In its second year, the blanket ban on new engineering institutes seems to have finally achieved what the experts had aimed to—less number of seats that focus on better infrastructure and quality of education. “Engineering was losing its sheen mainly because of colleges mushrooming across the country but not having enough back-up to ensure quality education, best teachers and proper placement after graduation. While the intake capacity is low compared to 10 years ago, we hope the quality of education imparted in existing colleges is better than ever,” said Anil Sahasrabuddhe, chairman, AICTE.

In December 2020, nearly 60% of engineering seats in West Bengal institutes were vacant after three rounds of admissions. Similarly, nearly 75% of seats in Tamil Nadu engineering institutes were vacant after three admission rounds, whereas in Karnataka, colleges approached the AICTE for an extension in the admission deadline to fill up the over 50% vacant seats in the last week of December 2020. “In most states, seat vacancy is higher in private engineering institutes especially because of the high fees demanded and the low quality of education imparted,” said the dean of a government-run engineering institute in the city.

With the implementation of the two-year blanket ban on new engineering institutes, AICTE this year approved the closure of 63 institutes, while 32 institutes applied for withdrawal of approval and a staggering 500 institutes around the country did not apply for continuation of approval for 2021-22 academic year.

“New institute approvals have only been allowed in districts with not enough government-funded engineering institutes, to give aspirants in such districts the option of studying closer to home. In the last two years, only government-funded new institute approvals have been accepted to ensure engineering seats are affordable for students,” added Sahasrabuddhe.

Lack of proper placement initiatives and falling demand for engineering graduates in the market meant fewer students aiming for BTech courses.

Until 2014-15 number of new engineering colleges was higher than those shutting down, automatically hinting at an increase in total intake capacity. From 17.04 lakh seats in 3,398 colleges, the numbers kept dipping with every passing year and in 2021-22, there are now 2,978 engineering institutes with an intake capacity of 12.86 lakh, the lowest in almost a decade.

Similarly, admissions to premier IITs depends on the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains score and while in 2013 nearly 14 lakh students had registered for the entrance test, less than nine lakh have the exam in 2018.

However, attribute it to ban on new colleges or the change in the perception of students, but technical courses are slowly once again gaining popularity among students. After witnessing a decline in the overall enrolment in professional courses, especially engineering and technology, things seem to look better. As per the latest All Indian Survey of Higher Education (AISHE) 2019-20 report, BTech and MTech programs witnessed a marginal rise after hitting a four-year low in 2018-19.

The enrolment for MTech in 2018-19 stood at 1,35,500 and the same in 2019-20 stood at 1,37,051. Similarly, enrolment for the BTech program stood at 21,25,043 and in 2019-20, the figure stood at 21,47,962. Many felt the decision of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to encourage the introduction of new-age courses like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Data Science and Robotics in technical colleges could be the main reason for this push.

“In 2020-21, Electronics and Communication sector managed to swoop the best of the minds and many also opted for BTech in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Data Science fields. Since jobs in the electronics as well as AI sectors are gaining more popularity, students too are very clear about their ambition and aiming for seats in specific departments,” said Gopakumaran Thampi, principal of Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Bandra.