BENGALURU: Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar has written a letter to the chairman of regulatory body All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) to make stringent rules for permission to engineering colleges and regulate the growth of private engineering and technical institutions in metros by banning new colleges for three years.
The letter has sought AICTE to control the increase of seats, especially in IT-related courses in private universities in the state, as universities and colleges offering technical education in tier-2 and 3 cities are facing challenges in running the institutions.
“Since there is a severe migration of teachers to tier-1 cities, resulting in a shortage of faculty, the quality of education is deteriorating, having a cascading effect on admissions in rural areas,” read the letter.
Sudhakar added that if the trend continues, gradually, all the good private and government institutes in rural areas will not survive, affecting students who cannot afford colleges in metros.
“Uncontrolled increase in seats, especially in IT-related courses in private universities, are creating problems with employment opportunities as industry demand and supply do not synchronise, creating an imbalance,” he said. The minister wants AICTE to make state government permission compulsory to increase or decrease seats in colleges.
Hitting back at the government, AICTE Chairman TG Sitharam on September 22 said that state private universities offering engineering courses do not fall under the ambit of AICTE.
“Hence, the council cannot exercise its regulations over them. AICTE is not permitting its approved institutions to close courses under core engineering or start courses,” he added.
The Karnataka government has asked to penalise violation of norms and requirements so that there are no changes in the number of seats offered under different courses. The other recommendations include restricting the starting of new engineering colleges and promoting traditional courses for their survival under multidisciplinary courses.
Sitharam added that the authority goes forward with new institutions only after a stamped receipt is received from the states.
“For existing institutions to start new courses, the council had made it mandatory that NOC from the affiliating body needs to be produced. Also, those institutions with eligible courses accredited by NBA are only permitted to add new courses,” he said.