AICTE to tighten noose around errant colleges in Punjab

Updated on: Saturday, November 26, 2011

The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) is all set to tighten the noose around errant engineering colleges, flourishing in Punjab and in the periphery of Chandigarh.

The apex body, which governs hundreds of technical and management institutes in the country, plans to cancel affiliation of below-standard colleges and impose various restrictions on them.

"There is a lot of scope in the field of technical education and we always encourage colleges that have the potential to deliver. At the same time, we are cautious about the mushrooming below-mark colleges in the region," S S Mantha, chairman of AICTE, told TOI.

"We are conducting surprise raids in the colleges and acting immediately on complaints. Colleges found lacking will be closed down. We will also reduce the number of sanctioned seats. We have not ordered closure of any college in Punjab so far, but in Haryana, two-three colleges have been closed in the last few months," he added.

Mantha said that AICTE is concerned about the hundreds of seats lying vacant in various engineering colleges in Punjab and other states.

"We have analysed the situation and found that 15% to 20% seats are vacant in colleges in rural areas and that too in certain branches like information technology and production. We have observed that students are gradually drifting away from information technology and have started opting for core branches," stated Mantha.

"We are getting queries from colleges who want to shut their IT branches and demand allocation of more seats in other streams. But this is not easy for us, as we have to maintain a healthy balance. Last year, we had received such pleas from around 1,000 colleges," he pointed out.

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Changing trends

The phenomenon of vacant seats is haunting AICTE. They have also received requests from some state governments not to grant permission to start new technical institutions, as already thousands of seats are lying vacant in those states. Mantha said they have received requests from Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

In a bid to promote research culture and enhance interaction between industry and academicians, AICTE will select 50 colleges across the country. These colleges will provide 3,000 square feet area to nearby MNCs or industry to open knowledge centres. The colleges will be selected by early 2012.

AICTE has also allocated Rs 10 crore for the faculty of technical institutes, who want to go aboard for research programmes. They have also recommended foreign e-journals to all institutions.

Times of India

AICTE to tighten noose around errant colleges in Punjab

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