HYDERABAD: Close to four decades after its establishment, the Government Institute of Leather Technology (GILT) at Gachibowli, the only such institute in the state, is still struggling to sustain itself or ensure student enrolment to match industrial demand. The situation is such that in spite of having modern equipment, infrastructure, and sufficient staff, there is a dearth of students.
Offering two diploma courses in leather technology and footwear technology, with sixty seats per course, the institute recorded ‘single digit’ admission until the 2015-2016 academic year. The fee for each course is `4,300.
Notwithstanding the international importance of the course and the demand for specialists in footwear technology in foreign markets, a large number of seats are left vacant. The major reason is lack of adequate publicity. Students say they are not aware of such courses and even of the existence of the institute itself. On the other hand, there is a perception among several people that the courses are meant for certain communities.
“People think that this (profession) belongs to a particular caste or a group but it is not like that. A major part of the leather used is of sheep or goat, and only a small part of buffalo or cow skin is used,” explained Iqbal Hussain, principal of the institute. “We had single-digit student enrolment until 2015 but it is slowly improving,” he added.
S Malikarjuna, who joined a course in 2015 but dropped out later due to financial constraints, said that the course offered bright prospects but failed to lure students because of poor publicity. “I came to know about the course from an acquaintance and a majority of the admissions here are on account of references,” he added. Meanwhile, with all major commercial brands outsourcing their production to units outside their geographical locations to cut manufacturing costs, jobs in these fields are plenty but the supply of manpower is meagre. Lack of hostel facility is another dampener.