‘We’re tackling issues that have crippled education standards’

There are colleges which are good, those which have great potential to grow into good colleges and then the ones which are faring poorly. We have to logically place the problems and find the best solutions.

Dr SS Mantha
Chairman, All India Council
for Technical Education (AICTE)

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Dozens of costly MBA and engineering colleges have mushroomed in Gurgaon which do not provide quality education. How do they get AICTE approval?
There are colleges which are good, those which have great potential to grow into good colleges and then the ones which are faring poorly. We have to logically place the problems and find the best solutions.

So, what is the council doing to address these problems?
We conduct surprise inspections. Our local inspection teams also issues show-cause notices. We even cancel AICTE approval to colleges.

Do you think that engineering and MBA colleges have become money-minting enterprises?
Yes, to some extent. But we are addressing the systematic issues that have for long crippled the standards of education in our country.

Don’t you think AICTE needs to strengthen its regulatory mechanisms to rein in such colleges?
We are sincerely working over it.

How much control does AICTE have over the course module that colleges offer?
AICTE can only prescribe a model curriculum. It’s for the universities with which the colleges are affiliated that need to work on good and relevant course curriculum.