The Employment and Technical Education and Training (ET&T) department has asked the Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) Committee to prepare the seat matrix of private professional and technical institutes as per its guidelines and not follow what the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) has approved.
For the web-based counselling, which is slated to start in June second week, the OJEE Committee has been asked to reflect new disciplines, programmes and additional intake in the seat matrix. But it will be subject to condition that these new disciplines, programmes and intakes are recommended by the State Government.
Any reduction in the intake approved by the Council will also be reflected in the seat matrix while closure of programmes and institutions will be allowed. However, the Government has decided that approval of AICTE over second shift will not be reflected.Similarly, additional programmes which have not got recommendation of the State Government will not find place in the seat matrix.
The department shot off a letter to Chairman of OJEE Prof L N Panda and said the seat matrix must be prepared as per its decisions sidelining the approval of the AICTE, which are not in line with the recommendation of the State Government.
Sources said the AICTE has not sent its approval for the enhanced 350 seats for College of Engineering and Technology (CET), a leading government institution.
However, this is unlikely to affect its status in the seat matrix since it is a constituent college of the Biju Patnaik University of Technology.
“All our 11 branches are approved by the AICTE. The Government decision to increase the intake came earlier this year after the AICTE sanctioned its approval for the academic session. But since it is a government college, an AICTE approval is not required,” Principal Prof P K Hota said.
The management of CET, however, has sent in its application seeking approval for the increased intake.