‘Ban on new engineering colleges for 2 years, control over student intake’: Karnataka

The minister in his letter highlighted that the unscientific decisions on adding courses and increasing seats has led to the deterioration and has threatened the survival of AICTE approved colleges in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar in a letter dated September 14 sought All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) intervention to curb the ‘unscientific’ and ‘abnormal’ increase of seats in such institutions for different engineering courses.

In view of growing violations among state private institutions (offering engineering and technical courses), Karnataka Higher Education Minister Dr MC Sudhakar in a letter dated September 14 sought All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) intervention to curb the ‘unscientific’ and ‘abnormal’ increase of seats in such institutions for different engineering courses.

The minister expressed the need for the state government to control the increase of seats in state private institutions (in IT related courses) and decrease of seats (in traditional courses) in engineering/technology by fixing the limit for minimum and maximum seats in a particular course/programme which they can offer. In addition, the minister also sought restrictions or ban on starting new engineering colleges/universities with professional courses mainly in metro/tier 1 cities for the next two-three years.

The minister also suggested AICTE penalise for violation of Norms and Requirement (Standards) to curb abnormal changes in number of seats and to make state government permission (no-objection certificate) as a compulsory requirement for increase/decrease/course intake/course similar to starting of new college/closure of college before proceeding for AICTE recommendation.

The minister in his letter highlighted that the unscientific decisions on adding courses and increasing seats has led to the deterioration and has threatened the survival of AICTE approved colleges in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

“Due to enormous increase of seats in the State Private Universities/Institutions in IT related courses which are in high demand (at present), the affiliated colleges approved by AICTE functioning in the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are facing the challenges in running the institution. Since there is a severe migration of teaching faculty to Tier 1 cities, resulting in shortage of faculty and fall in quality of teaching which is having a cascading effect on the admission in these Tier 2 and Tier 3 Institutions,” said Sudhakar.

He added that “If this trend continues, slowly the good Private /Government institutes located in Tier-2, Tier-3 cities or in Rural areas will face challenge for their survival and result in the gradual closure which will ultimately affect the rural students who cannot afford to join the Colleges or Universities located in Metros or Tier-1 cities. Also, uncontrolled increase in seats especially in IT related courses mainly in State Private Universities are creating problem for the graduate’s employment opportunities as the demand by the Industry and Supply does not Synchronize.”

Why does the government want to take control?

The request by the minister comes a month after the state government flagged around 90 colleges who bypassed the government and got approval for new engineering courses from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) and AICTE. As per the procedure, VTU has to send a Local Inquiry Committee (LIC) to colleges to inspect and approve the courses. Later, an approval has to be taken from the All India Council of Technical Education, followed by an issue of NOC (no-objection certificate) from the government. However, many of the colleges did not have the LIC report, following which the government refused to provide an NOC.

AICTE response

However, Prof T G Sitharam, chairman of AICTE in a response to Sudhakar’s letter stated that while the council has always upheld the due process in granting new courses to institutions, the chairman has sought Karnataka government’s ‘proposed prepositions for AY 2024-25 to initiate the process for grant of approvals’.

The chairman in his letter seated September 22 noted that, “ Whenever the Council receives an application from stakeholders for setting up of new institutions, the process is initiated only if a stamped receipt of its receipt by the respective state Government/affiliating body is submitted. It is communicated through the council’s approval process handbook that, if the State Government wishes to deny the grant of approval to the said applicant, the same shall be intimated to AICTE within 15 days from the receipt of the same so that Council shall not proceed ahead with the approval granting process.”

He further said that, “For existing institutions to start new courses, the council had made it mandatory that NOC from the affiliating body needs to be produced. State Private Universities offering Engineering Courses are not falling under the ambit of AICTE Hence the council could not exercise its regulations over them. These Universities are established by the act of respective State Government. In addition, AICTE is not permitting its approved institutions to close courses under core Engineering and in lieu of the same to start courses under emerging areas/ demand.”