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At least one-third of the total sanctioned seats are lying vacant in undergraduate engineering institutes approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).
In 2021-22, of the sanctioned 12,53,337 seats, 4,21,203 will not be filled, the Union Education Ministry informed the Rajya Sabha (RS) on Wednesday. As against 12,86,545 sanctioned in 2020-21, 5,66,538 seats were vacant. In 2019-20, it was 5,87,314 against the sanctioned intake of 13,28,247, while in 2018-19, the number of vacant seats stood at 6,78,932 against the sanctioned intake of 13,95,345. In 2017-18, the number stood at 7,22,112 against the sanctioned 14,65,873, according to data shared by Minister of State for Education Dr Subhash Sarkar in a written reply to RS.
“The filling of seats in engineering institutes is dependent on a demand-supply situation which is dependent on the location of the institutes, academic and infrastructure facilities and placement opportunities,” Dr Sarkar cited as the reason for the seats being vacant. written response.
Need a Review?
In view of the low enrollment in engineering and diploma programs across the country, the AICTE had constituted a committee in 2018 to look for ways to improve engineering education in the county. The committee, headed by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Hyderabad chairman BVR Mohan Reddy, then advised the government to freeze approval of new engineering colleges for two years starting 2020 and “review” the creation of new ones. Was given capacity every two years.
Last year, with the number of vacant seats still high, the committee, in its interim report tabled in Parliament, had recommended continuation of the freeze, barring a few exceptions.
Change in mindset?
Higher education experts, however, said that one should not go by these figures alone, as the number of admissions in engineering colleges has not decreased, but has shifted from one type of institution to another. Most of the students, in recent years, opt for better private universities than deemed-to-be state universities or colleges for various reasons.
“Most of the engineering institutes approved by AICTE are deemed-to-be universities or colleges affiliated to state universities. Many, despite having good colleges with low fees, are not able to fill seats as students opt for larger private universities, which often have better campuses, attractive infrastructure or better placement opportunities. It is more of a mindset shift,” said Anil Sahasrabuddhe, chairman, National Education Technology Forum (NETF) and former chief of AICTE.
He said: “Last year, the number of admissions was actually higher due to good placements in institutes two years after the pandemic, which may not be the case after four years. So, it’s a dynamic situation. The trend has to be observed for a period of at least 10 years to draw and understand the conclusions.
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