Chennai: With steady decline of students joining engineering courses in the state, 10 engineering colleges are likely to close down from next academic year (2017-18). Of 627 engineering, architecture, MBA and MCA colleges, 12 engineering and MBA colleges did not apply for the affiliation with the Anna University for the next academic year.
The last date for applying for the affiliation ended on January 20. “So far five colleges have confirmed that they are going to close down from the next academic year and two colleges asked for some more time to submit their details,” Anna University sources said.
However, the remaining five colleges did not respond, signalling the closure as they cannot admit the students in the next academic year without getting affiliation from the university.
“In the last few years, the interest among students to join engineering courses is waning. It’s no surprise that engineering colleges opting to close as they cannot sustain without admitting enough students,” professors said.
In the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions 2016 counselling more than 40% of the colleges were not able to attract many students. “Only 100 colleges were able to fill about more than 90 per cent of their seats and 200 colleges filled 70 per cent of their seats. The rest of them got less than 50 per cent of the students enrolled in their colleges. These colleges will find it difficult to sustain,” said Jayaprakash A. Gandhi, educationist and career consultant.
“They are not getting students because they are not getting job placements and they are located in remote areas. Their quality of teaching is also not up to the mark as they cannot hire good faculties due to the poor income,” he explained.
He further said many colleges were forced to close as they started based on the business model. “Because of the fewer enrolments and more investment in the engineering colleges, the managements are closing down the colleges,” he said.
Around 10 engineering colleges did not get a single student in the Tamil Nadu Engineering Admissions counselling last year.
