In 2014-15, engineering institutions approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had around 3.2 million seats on offer—the highest ever. From that peak, the total number of seats for undergraduate, postgraduate, and diploma courses has been plummeting, down to a decadal low of around 2.32 million in 2020-21. To AICTE chairman Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe, the crisis in engineering education in the country is also an opportunity. “The number of engineering institutions had grown exponentially, leading to over-capacity and a high number of vacant seats. The recent trend of engineering colleges shutting down or reducing seats will lead to consolidation and ensure sustained quality in the years to come,” says Sahasrabudhe, now in his seventh year as India’s technical education regulator.
In 2019-20, the AICTE approved 153 new engineering institutions while closing down 53 others. Even before the Covid-induced disruption in 2020-21, at least 50 engineering colleges have shut shop each academic year since 2015-16. This year, 63 colleges have got the AICTE’s nod to stop operations (see Open and Shut). The closure of these colleges and reduced intakes of students will lower the number of seats by 146,000.
This story is from the September 20, 2021 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 20, 2021 edition of India Today.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
AAMCHI ENGLISH
You'd think its history of language politics would have nixed such a possibility.
SULTANS OF AASMAN
It's harvest season for India's charter flight operators, as eager candidates hop on to rented choppers and small aircraft with sky-high ambitions.
Music to OUR EARS
After signing a record deal with Warner Music Group, Nora Fatehi sets her sights on being a global pop star
Rebel with a CAUSE
A retrospective of revolutionary artist Gobardhan Ash showcases four decades of his practice at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity
HYBRID FORMS
Mythic Femininities at DAG Delhi brings together a well-chosen crosssection of the late GOGI SAROJ PAL'S large body of work
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
JAI MEHTA makes his directorial debut with Disney+ Hotstar's web series Lootere
MAN OF MANY PARTS
Pratik Gandhi's transition from theatre and Gujarati cinema to mainstream Bollywood is an inspirational tale
THE DUNKI REPUBLIC
Rivers flowing down from the Himalayan massifs are known to have fickle habits-they curl about, meander and, if they stray far enough, get captured by bigger river systems.
A SENSE OF DEPRIVATION
As the Uddhav Sena gets a lion's share in the MVA seat-sharing deal, discontent brews within Congress ranks over the leadership conceding three key seats
Kshatriyas Declare War on Rupala
The minister's appeasement of Dalits has upset the warrior class, who want his candidature withdrawn or they will stir trouble for the BJP in all 26 seats