COIMBATORE: Inspection teams of Anna University, which visited private engineering colleges across the State, have found that select courses offered by 44 engineering colleges are not supported by adequate faculty strength and infrastructure. The university has therefore decided to reduce the number of students allowed for these courses.
Ahead of the new academic year, Anna University had sent separate inspection teams to around 530 self-financing engineering colleges to check whether they have adequate faculty strength and infrastructure, including classrooms, laboratories and libraries. The visits, which began in mid-February, were completed recently.
The university had sent notices to the colleges short of the required faculty and infrastructure, asking them to rectify the shortfalls. They were also asked to send compliance reports. Based on the compliance reports, the university has taken a final call.
“As per the Supreme Court order, we have to complete the affiliation process before May 15. The final decision on extending the affiliation of engineering colleges was taken during a meeting on Saturday,” said a highly placed source in the university.
“The university has decided to reduce the intake of some courses offered by 44 private engineering colleges, as they were found short of faculty and infrastructure. Some of them have rectified the deficiency highlighted by the university and they have been granted affiliation and allowed full intake,” the source added.
Meanwhile, 11 existing private engineering colleges did not apply for affiliation this year. “These colleges will be closing down from this academic year. Existing students could be shifted to other colleges,” the official said. The university has completed its affiliation process and is now awaiting the extension of approval process by the AICTE.