Reforms in Engg edn on cards

75 per cent curriculum of the Engineering courses to be prepared by the AICTE

Hyderabad: With the engineering standards declining gradually, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to frame 75 per cent curriculum of the Engineering courses. The universities would be given a free hand in framing 25 per cent of the curriculum based on their requirements and local conditions.

Speaking to the Hans India on the sidelines of an awareness workshop on ‘Outcome-based Education and Accreditation’ at the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad here on Monday, AICTE Chairman Prof Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe said the Council was working on reforms to introduce in the Engineering education.

With this move, majority of the syllabus for the Engineering courses across colleges in the country would be similar. Currently, as per the guidelines of the AICTE, universities frame the syllabus for Engineering courses.Further, the AICTE intends to introduce Biological Science in the curriculum of the Engineering education. The new curriculum is likely to come into force from the next academic year.

He urged the Engineering colleges to go for an autonomy status to improve the standards and have excellence.The AICTE Chairman said the standards of Engineering education had come down across the country. He further said 50 per cent of Engineering seats were going begging across the country and the trend of new colleges had been stopped.

“What’s the point in running the courses when the required numbers of seats are not filled in colleges? About 15-20 per cent seats remaining vacant is okay but 50 per cent of the seats do not have takers. The college managements are closing the courses,” he lamented.

Admitting that there should be 1:20 teacher and students ratio, he said while there had been a demand for the same, they were not takers for the seats and there was no point in continuing the course. “Such programmes should be closed and colleges should start courses which have good demand in the market so that seats will be filled up,” he added.

When asked why the council had failed to keep a check on the erring engineering colleges, the Chairman said granting permission every year was a futile process. “People feel they are being tortured and may resort to corrupt practices if inspections are held every year.

We believe that the information provided to us is correct and based on the information we give permissions. If information is found to be false, based on the complaints filed, either we cut the intake or drop the course or permission to the college,” he said.