HYDERABAD: In a blow to polytechnic colleges, the AP High Court on Monday permitted engineering colleges to introduce evening classes for polytechnic students. Justice G Rohini vacated the stay granted in a petition filed by Private Polytechnics Management Association. The counsel for the Government contended that there had been a phenomenal growth of technical institutions in the country. However, the polytechnic education has been lagging behind the degree-level education in engineering.
Thus the ratio of degree to diploma admission capacity was more than 2 where as it should be be 0.25 to 0.33. The high cost of diploma level education and relatively poor financial capacity of the aspiring students was not attracting private investment into diploma-level education. Considering, this the AICTE had relaxed the existing norms and standards for polytechnic institutions.
There was a growing demand in Andhra Pradesh for admissions into polytechnics particularly from economically and socially weaker sections. The counsel further contended that the rural population in the State, who were economically weaker are being attracted to a career in technical education in view of the low fee structure prevailing in the State, which they could easily afford and to which the Government was also committed by reimbursing the tuition fees particularly for BC, SC, ST, minorities and disabled students whose annual parental income was less than Rs one lakh.
The council had taken this decision to allow second shift of polytechnic in the existing engineering institutions which would also facilitate the diploma students to access better infrastructure facilities and faculty.