Professional education has reached a crisis with many engineering and medical colleges on the brink of closure. Some Colleges have many seats unfilled and while some others have entire branches vacant. When one considers this being the situation in Government seats, better not say anything about the position as far as management seats are concerned, for which no data have been published. Definitely the situation would be worse except for top colleges as the fee for those seats is on the high side as compared to Government seats. At the outset one can say that higher fee structure is one of the reasons keeping students away from self-financing colleges.
Is high fee the real issue?
Fee is not the main reason for the impasse. In model engineering college, only three seats were left vacant of which two were in the management quota and one in the Government quota. Even in several colleges that had a deposit attached to Government seats, the majority of Government seats were filled up. In these colleges, the demand for management seats is also high since there is no difference in fee structure. Why did students choose such colleges without considering fees? These colleges had better results. Universities publishing pass percentage have significantly contributed to students choosing better performing colleges. High-ranked students flock to these colleges, raising colleges’ pass percentage and making them ‘sought after’.
Do colleges get students with an aptitude for engineering?
Had that been the situation, other colleges also should have shown better results. So it is basically not colleges that are responsible. The issue is getting really talented students with the aptitude for engineering. So the issue now revolves around the aptitude for engineering. The most attractive component of engineering education has been ‘campus placement’. Industry biggies captured the fancy of students with attractive offers. However, companies could not find many engineering students ‘employable’. The fault did not lie with the company or engineering education, but with ‘unemployable’ students.
Aptitude for Engineering- what is to be expected?
Students should have analytical aptitude, problem-solving skills, technical knowledge, creative and mathematical ability, communication skills, logical thinking, attention to details and interest in continuing education. Engineers rely on empirical evidence and practical knowledge. Engineers design, build, maintain and are engaged in research for improvement of structures, machines, tools, systems, components, materials and processes. One needs abilities that are not revealed just through expertise in mathematics, physics and chemistry alone. Students and parents should disabuse themselves of the notion that a higher secondary pass with these subjects makes him/her eligible for engineering. The engineering pass percentage published by universities points to this fact.
A glance at the engineering course syllabus may save hundreds of students from not venturing in this field. But this is not being done. They fail to understand that technology relates to ‘development’ and science relates to ‘understanding’. An aptitude test, like the one for architecture course, will help identify genuine and suitable aspirants. There is no shortage of opportunities, but tapping them calls for informed decision. This decision determines the student’s future. Should you leave it to fate?
