Around 10 engineering colleges yet to get single student

Chennai: With just two days remaining in the general counselling for engineering admissions, around 10 engineering colleges have got no students enrolled for admission this year.

The general counselling for engineering admissions started on June 27. So far 1.14 lakh students were called for counselling of whom only 75,234 participated and 39,157 were absent. The general counselling is scheduled to end on July 21.  
Educationist and career consultant Jayaprakash A.Gandhi said, “Of 527 engineering colleges in the state only 63 have performed well by filling all the seats in OC, BC and BCM and MBC categories. Some SC and SC (A) seats are still available even in these colleges, with only 16 filling all the seats in all categories.

Around 10 colleges have 100 per cent  of their seats not filled. In 235 engineering colleges,  seats are still available in the OC category for all the branches they offer,” he said. He also said that if these colleges need to sustain, they have to be supported by Anna University and AICTE.

Last year less than 100 colleges had vacancies in the OC category at the end of counselling. This year the number is more than double. “It’s an alarm call for all engineering colleges. Unless they give quality education along with updated technology and good placements it will be difficult for them to survive,” he added.
E. Balagurusamy, former vice-chancellor, Anna University,  called for the closure of colleges which have poor enrolment of students.

“Many of these colleges do not have any basic facilities like lab, faculty, etc. If these colleges are allowed to continue, the future of students will be destroyed,” he reasoned. “For our state 300 engineering colleges are more than enough. Anna University and AICTE have given approval for more engineering colleges in the state than what we need without bothering about quality. Now they are facing the consequences,” he said.