Ban on new colleges flayed

Speaking on the sidelines of the 15th graduation day ceremony at Sri Sairam Engineering College here on Saturday, Prof Mantha said that there had been no demographic study done prior to imposing the moratorium on technical institutions.

“No state has come up with a perspective plan proving the moratorium right. AICTE has written to state governments, asking them to send their perspective plan, showing the number of colleges, students, facilities and districts which need colleges, but only Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra have done so, and these too are sketchy,” the AICTE chief said.

Prof Mantha said there were several arts and science colleges in the country that functioned from two small rooms, but the UGC had not initiated any action against them. Coming down heavily on the developmental councils in technical universities, the AICTE chief questioned their functioning in not coming up with the perspective plan.

Showering praise on Sairam Engineering College and its chairman Leo Muthu, Prof Mantha urged that the college start multi-disciplinary programmes to accommodate over 10,000 students.

In his presidential address, Mr Muthu pointed out that their college had alumni who worked in MNCs across the world. “Companies that recruit our students praise the college for the discipline and values we have given them. This makes us feel proud as we have created responsible citizens,” he said.

Hailing AICTE for its regulatory role, Mr Muthu said that post-1993 the council had made big strides, especially during Prof Mantha’s tenure.

College chief executive officer (CEO) J. Sai Prakash, felicitating the students recalled how the college had trained students in several spheres, including personality development and communication skills.