Move to cut engineering seats gets a pat

Hyderabad: Plans by the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) to cut down the total engineering intake has been welcomed by experts and administrators who feel the move will result in improvement in the quality of faculty and sustenance of real educationists.

The move is opposite to the AICTE’s earlier stance of higher intake, but experts say that it is good that the Council has finally woken up.

It is also noteworthy that engineering colleges are already voluntarily reducing intake with half of such applications being from Telangana itself. TS engineering colleges have sought permission to shut about 396 courses of which 143 have already been accepted by the regulator.

Prof. T. Papi Reddy, chairman, Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE), said, “This is a new trend that colleges themselves are surrendering courses and Telangana is the first in the country in this. So like share prices, there is automatic correction in engineering seats after a huge increase and reduction in intake is taking place.”

Prof. Reddy also said that pruning of intake would improve faculty in colleges and even yield better results for students. “Now supply is far exceeding the demand and the demand for engineering graduates is reducing. Colleges were set up because they had money then and AICTE was liberal and quality was jeopardised. The new thinking is in the interest of engineering education,” he said.

Principal of Osmania University College of Engineering, Prof. S. Ramachandram, said, “Sections in each branch were added liberally and focus was not on quality then. But this is a good decision. If quantity is reduced, quality may improve in the long run. And those who are just for profit will move away.”

New rules mandate that only NBA accredited colleges can apply for increase in intake.