Thiruvananthapuram: Finally, the self-financing engineering college managements have given in to the state government stand on admissions. They have agreed to admit students for the BTech courses only from the rank list of the common entrance examinations conducted by the commissioner for entrance examinations. The Kerala Self-Financing Engineering College Management Association (KSFECMA) signed an agreement with the government on Tuesday.
The KSFECMA had wanted flexibility to admit students with 60 per cent marks in Plus-Two, but who had failed to clear the entrance test, in vacant seats. However, their demand for mark relaxation has not been included in the agreement. The government told the managements their demand would be considered later. As per the decision, it would be a unified fee for all government quota seats in 57 engineering colleges in the state, KSFECMA president K. Sasikumar told this newspaper
Moreover, the fee was reduced from Rs 75,000 to 50,000 for all the seats in these 57 colleges. However, the remaining 41 colleges would have a two-tier fee structure like last year. In these colleges, the fee would be Rs 50,000 for lower income group candidates and Rs 50,000 and a special fee of Rs 25,000 for other students, Mr Sasikumar said. As per the agreement 50 per cent seats will be government quota, 35 per cent seats management quota and 15 per cent NRI quota.
A family with a limit of Rs 50,000 annual income would be considered lower income group. The colleges will be also allowed to admit students from the all-India entrance rank list or the rank list of an entrance examination conducted by the consortium of the managements for management quota seats. There are a total of 157 engineering colleges in the state, including nine government colleges, three aided colleges, five university-controlled colleges, 21 government-controlled self-financing colleges and 119 private self-financing engineering colleges.
An agreement has not been evolved with the Catholic Engineering College Management Association with 20 colleges as members. The Catholic managements have not yet come for discussions with the government. As per the decision, three rounds of allotments will be held for merit quota seats. To qualify in the entrance examination and thereby become eligible to figure in the rank list for engineering, a candidate has to score a minimum of 10 marks each in Paper I and Paper II of the entrance examination.
Last year, the colleges were allowed to admit students who had not cleared the minimum 10 marks for each paper in entrance examinations also in colleges. Even then, 17,907 seats remained vacant. In the year before that, whenthe minimum mark criterion was followed, over 40,000 seats had remained vacant.
Candidates who have passed Higher Secondary examination or examinations recognised as equivalent with 50 per cent marks in mathematics separately, and 50 per cent marks in mathematics, physics and chemistry put together are eligible for admission to engineering colleges.
The present decision is a big relief to the government as the first round of allotment for engineering courses has to be initiated before June 30 as per the directive of the Supreme Court. As per the allotment schedule, the time limit for submitting options is 12 noon on June 30. The first allotment will be published on June 30 evening on the basis of the options registered till that time.
