800 engineering colleges to close in India soon. Know why

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is planning to shut down nearly 800 engineering colleges by next academic year.

By: News Desk |
September 4, 2017 11:09 am

All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) is planning to shut down nearly 800 engineering colleges by next academic year. The government body’s decision came on account of low admissions for five consecutive years in these colleges. They have been instructed to submit a report by the second week of September.

Notedly, 150 engineering are shutting down voluntarily every year due to stricter AICTE rules. According to a rule of the council, engineering colleges that have had a student enrollment of less than 30% of their capacity for five consecutive years/.

“Colleges that lack proper infrastructure and report less than 30% admissions for five consecutive years will have to be shut down,” AICTE chairman Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe told TOI.

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According to its website, AICTE has approved the progressive closure of more than 410 colleges across India, from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Twenty of these institutions are in Karnataka. A maximum number of institutions was approved for closure in 2016-17.

At present there are 10,361 engineering colleges in the country. The maximum number of engineering colleges, that is 1,500, is in Maharashtra followed by Tamil Nadu which has 1,300 engineering colleges. Uttar Pradesh has about 1,165 colleges and Andhra Pradesh has 800 engineering colleges. Some colleges have sought a time of one year from the council to improve the number of enrollment.

Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have the maximum number of colleges which have sought progressive closure.

Progressive closure means the institute can no more admit students to the first year in that academic year, for which progressive closure is granted; however, the existing students will continue. The private engineering colleges that fail to survive either seek progressive closure and ultimately shut down or turn into polytechnics or science and arts colleges.

Sahasrabudhe also stressed on the need of revision and renewal of syllabus in engineering colleges and universities , which, according to him, is the major cause behind the fall in the number of admissions and quality of education they impart.

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The Council has also planned to introduce six months teachers training for professors who would be employed at engineering college to improve the quality of education.

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