The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman SS Mantha denied halting the approval process of new engineering colleges despite huge vacancies in private engineering colleges this year.
Mantha was conducting a workshop on AICTE’s ‘New approval process for 2013-14’. “Entire country has vacancies. Every college has the problem but that does not mean that we will stop giving approvals to the new institutes,” said Mantha.
He added that if anyone finds technical institute to be deficient in providing good education, they can demand closure of that institute through the court, but completely stopping the approval process was not a healthy practice. The State Government had written to AICTE last year to stop the approval of new engineering colleges.
Approval to any new technical institute is given only after it meets the AICTE norms. The quality check comes after annual accreditation by AICTE officials.
“Since the colleges already have infrastructure and faculty, they can start polytechnic courses to deal with the vacancy problem,” advised Mahanta.
After this suggestion, Odisha Private Engineering Schools Association submitted a memorandum to AICTE seeking permission to conduct degree engineering courses in the second shift in diploma engineering institutions.