Thiruvananthapuram: The TKM Engineering College, Kollam, is set to become the first engineering college in the state with autonomous status. The A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technological University would decide on its application after finalising the guidelines.
University PVC M. Abdul Rahman told DC that as a first step, cluster autonomy would be provided for the MTech programmes.
The colleges seeking autonomy should possess state government criteria, including a minimum existence of 10 years, with good academic and administrative performance.
The colleges should also have national board accreditation (NBA) under the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Mr Rahman said.
Autonomous clusters have been formed by curbing MTech programmes of various colleges. Each cluster will have 10 to 15 colleges which will be joined together on the basis of their geographical location.
Cluster-level Graduate Programme Committees (CGPC) headed by a chairman nominated by the Vice-Chancellor and consisting of the college principals and a convener would regulate the academic autonomy of this cluster.
Currently, there are 104 institutions in the state which impart PG courses (MTech). The university has constituted 10 clusters with powers to introduce academic changes in PG courses to improve quality.
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