19 % seats in Engg colleges, B schools vacant in 2011-12

Updated on: Thursday, April 26, 2012

About 19 per cent of seats in engineering colleges and business schools across the country remained unoccupied in the the 2011-12 academic season, the government said.

In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Human Resource Development D Purandeswari said that of the total 14,85,894 seats in engineering colleges across the country, 2,82,320, or 19 per cent, remained unoccupied in the year 2011-12.

Similarly, 66,988 seats, or 19 per cent, of the 3,52,571 total positions in business management schools remained vacant last year, the Minister said, citing data from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

Purandeswari also informed the House that 20 per cent of faculty posts in engineering colleges and 23 per cent in management schools were lying vacant in the said year.

On the lack of skill sets among students from lower-rung technical institutions, the Minister said,"AICTE was asked to constitute a Committee and suggest measures to redesign the programme of Finishing School throughout the country."

"Also, as a long term measure to enhance the employability of engineering graduates, AICTE is taking steps to update the syllabus of engineering courses," she added.

Finishing School is a pilot programme launched in 2007 to enhance the employability of engineering graduates. But a 2010 review found that it failed to meet desired results.

Replying to another query, Purandeswari said the government has so far received 110 proposals for setting up polytechnics under the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode.

19 % seats in Engg colleges, B schools vacant in 2011-12

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