NEW DELHI: In a first, the country’s technical education regulator is set to carry out the mid-course assessment of learning levels and employability of engineering and management students studying in institutes affiliated under it. The move is the latest in line to improve the quality of teaching-learning in technical institutes.
Sources in the All-India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) told TNIE that the Student Learning Assessment project, to be started from this academic session, will test management students on skills like ability in planning and managing financial, human and physical resources.
For engineering students, the skills tested will be in new areas such as blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, core engineering knowledge, and basic knowledge of maths, physics and chemistry. “In addition, analytical and social abilities of students from both backgrounds will also be measured. The idea is to assess whether what engineering and management students are being taught is making them employable and what are their learning standards,” a senior AICTE official said.
“We are also looking forward to addressing any concerns and gaps that may be found during the assessment exercise,” the official added. The scheme is set to be implemented online and will evaluate students in various years of the two courses.
The launch of the scheme comes in the backdrop of the release of India Skills Report 2021 by various government and private agencies, including AICTE, which showed that employability of India’s youth has decreased to 45.9% with the percentage of highest employable talent in the age group of 18-21 years old, at 40%. This is significantly lower than last year’s analysis of youth employability.