Bengaluru: With the demand for engineering seats dropping each year, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has suggested to put an end to approval of additional seats in certain traditional branches and called for improvement of infrastructure and teaching faculty.
According to a 41-page report submitted by the council, it has been mentioned that branches such as mechanical, electrical, civil, and electronics should not be provided additional seats, adding that institutions should be advised to convert those numbers to cater to those seeking studies in emerging technologies.
It was found that as much as 51% percent of the total 15.5 lakh B.E/B.Tech seats in 3,291 engineering colleges failed to see takers recently. The report had criticized several institutions in the country for providing compromised quality in areas such as infrastructure, laboratories, qualified faculty, misinformation of industry trends and the absence of a conducive atmosphere.
Top AICTE officials said that suggestions and advices submitted by leading educators and reformists in the country will be closely studied and implementing those is in the pipeline. “Our technical regulators are considering the same and actions that are in the best interest of the students and the future of the industry itself will be taken in days to come,” said an official.
Experts have also urged the AICTE to introduce new undergraduate programmes keeping in mind the changing trends. Branches such as mechatronics, blockchain, artificial intelligence, robotics, data sciences and quantum computing are among those suggested for the same.
