Most of the writers blame the skewed policies of the government in sanctioning engineering colleges without ensuring adequate academic standards. Others attributed the declining standard to lack of diversification and absence of courses dealing with frontier areas in the respective fields. Some others view it as a fallout of the rampant commercialisation of technical education. We, at ‘Express’ feel it is high time that the state government intervened and checked the mindless dilution of Brand Kerala. Otherwise, students passing out of engineering colleges from state face the dubious prospects of being blacklisted by corporate houses across the country.
C Divakaran, Kowdiar
Virtually, all professional fields would show a saturation level at one point or the other, going beyond which would be suicidal for the stakeholders. Oblivious of this, vested interests ran a rat race, leading to a mushrooming of engineering colleges, with both the ‘giver’ and the ‘receiver’ (the faculty and the student) simultaneously nosediving into the nadir of mediocrity. The proof of the pudding is in the eating: under the current system, degrees and credits allegedly scored are no reflection of intrinsic worth. An employer would, therefore, do well to totally ignore them and subject the job-seeker to an independent test in problem solving with the help of what the aspirant might have absorbed from the campus.
K M Divakaran, Kannur
Having graduated from the most prestigious engineering college in Kerala more than four decades ago, I feel terribly sad at the dismal standard of engineering education in our state. No wonder then, it is an oft- heard saying that if a student cannot get admission to any other course, he can surely get admission to engineering studies. I will squarely blame the government for this disastrous turn of events for sanctioning engineering colleges under arm twisting tactics adopted by various political pressure groups. Equally, the blame should be shared by the AICTE, the controlling authority for technical education. It is not surprising that a recent survey revealed that among the educated unemployed, the engineering graduates belong to the most unemployed category.
S Lakshmi
It is the state government to be blamed for the indecision and intervention for the prevalence of confusion over self-financing engineering colleges for the seat not getting filled. When the time was ripe and situation conducive to engineering courses, few years ago, the government played spoiled sport, by dictating irrational terms in fees structure, which was unviable and uneconomical, considering the investment that the private engineering colleges have made. The Left-wing students’ agitation played dampener, by silencing the voice of self-financed engineering colleges in the state. Students made a beeline to neighbouring states for admission, despite having such facility within the state.
O P S Menon, Palakkad
In Kerala, like other states, large number of self-financing engineering colleges started due to the huge demand for professionals in Information Technology, Computer, Communication and other related fields. But, now, the situation changed and there is a steady decline in this field which made students to seek other areas of academic courses. Large number of Non-Resident Indians and other rich people of the state thought of investing in self-financing colleges is sound and profitable. They never expected that things will take such a turn so soon and the students may seek alternative subjects like Commerce, Literature, Economics etc. The managements of self-financing engineering colleges also find it very difficult to get qualified and experienced teaching staff for various courses as most well-qualified engineers interested to work in some foreign universities or highly paid IT firms. The state government and AICTE allot engineering colleges without making proper study whether state require these much engineering colleges and they get required students having high calibre.
Sharadchandran S, Mundakayam
What happens in Kerala is that parents force their child, without considering their wishes, to join engineering course and they will end up becoming bad engineers. Recruiters can take the census of those engineering collages from where meritorious engineers pass out but there are some engineers who academically excellent but practically they are not up to expectations. Nowadays, self-financing engineering colleges just think about their financial prospects, they are less bothered about student’s future in which outcome is like increasing number of unemployed BTech graduates.
T K NANDANAN, Thevara
The quality of engineering degree taken from Kerala is inferior to the degrees taken from outside the state. It does not reflect the calibre of the students but the poor training the college imparts to its students. The jinx seems to be haunting the engineering colleges in Kerala mainly because the exorbitant fees the management is charging from the prospective students. This has cast aspersions on the credibility of each engineering college. Moreover, the possibility and prospect of getting a placement after finishing the course is bleak.
Thomas K M, Muvattupuzha
India is hazardously inundated with mediocre engineering graduates solely due to paralysed education policies of the government. The latest decision that mere an appearance in the engineering entrance examination is adequate for an engineering seat scandalously exposes the brazen corruption and botched educational plans of the state. The bizarre criteria to decide the eligibility of the candidates for admission to engineering courses absolutely linking with their religion/caste etc, neglecting the genuinely meritorious students, undeniably muddles the standard of our professionals. These mediocre professionals are outrageously extirpated for their crummy performance in the global arena for perspicuous reasons. Undoubtedly a comprehensive unblemished education system is inevitable for the country.
Elizabeth Koshy
The government’s liberal policy on the self-financing engineering colleges sector in Kerala has backfired as it has turned out to be another of their myopic miscalculations. Where money overrules aptitude, intelligence and competence, the result can only be mediocrity. Students face the brunt during job hunts. Very few make it big as they are superceded by those from prestigious institutions. The options left for the government is to convert them into arts and science colleges with limited number of engineering seats. Strict screening and aptitude tests can eliminate the undeserving.
A RAVEENDRANATH, Aranmula
Without the rudimentary knowledge about the concept of demand and supply, proliferation of engineering colleges which spewed out unripe or unbaked engineering graduates, is perhaps, one of the basic causes for such situation. When such institutions were limited in number, students with aptitude for the profession and intellectual capacity only could enter their portals and the products were accomplished and much sought after. Now, quantity increase at the cost of quality resulting in taking a nose-dive in market value. When the Kerala Government opened the flood gate to private operators, whose main goal was financing the self rather than academic and professional advancement.
Nebu George, Pottamkulam
It was a correct and just decision to sanction engineering colleges to all those who applied. It not only stemmed the massive outflow of capital from Kerala to the neighbouring states as capitation fees but also brought down the capitation fees to almost nil in Kerala. That some of the investment went bad is no fault of the government nor the public. Nobody can be blamed for the engineering degree getting diluted as there was a flow from arts and science colleges because it got diluted there first. The quality of basic engineering degree can be improved if the affiliating universities set high parameters for syllabus and pass percentage like ICAI sets for CA exams.
O B Nair, Poonithura
There was a time when engineers were in great demand and the limited number of engineering colleges in Kerala was unable to meet the requirement, compelling the candidates to migrate to other states. This situation prompted both the government and the private sector to invest in engineering field. Neither the state government nor the AICTE exercised any control over this unplanned growth. Proliferation of these institutions caused dilution of quality as revealed by employers. Young engineers became unemployed and the number is increasing. Separate entrance examination and canvassing students from abroad will only help further dilution of quality.
P R V Raja, Pandalam
The unenviable position with engineering education has a long history of unplanned ‘growth’. Basically, no government accepted its democratic responsibility to fulfill the core requirements of human life, ‘education’ included. People live at the mercy of private ‘entrepreneurs’ on all issues, technical education remaining no exception. The student community, well-meaning educationists, civil society members and anti-corruption movements failed to counter. As of now, blaming someone, guiding prospective employers and mourning the bad investment are all secondary to planning engineering manpower in its true sense.
Sundaram Govind, Aluva
The government and the managements of the self-financing engineering colleges work hand in glove in admitting all students with an eye on the fat fees levied. They have even waived cut off marks of 10 admitting students who do not figure in the rank list of entrance exams! As a result, the engineering colleges are degraded as erstwhile type-writing institutes. It is a rule of nature that when quantity increases quality decreases. These students study only basic engineering i.e. mechanical, electrical, electronics and civil. In some colleges, new courses are offered such as nuclear engineering, genetic engineering, food processing, mining, petroleum, biomedical, and polymer engineering. The prospective employers look for graduates specialised in these fields. Therefore it is not the degree that matters but the college one has studied and the specialisation.
M R Nair, Nileshwar
Anxiety of SFCs is understandable in terms of vacant seats with no solid solutions but wise adjustments. College may include new courses, improve quality, ensure cost management. Check indiscriminate admission of Plus-Two pass for BTech. Kerala’s fresh BTechs are not hot cakes in the job market. Yet BA, BSc, BCom etc won’t be a substitute for excellent students aspiring to take up BTech. Serious employers employ result-oriented best performers to unreserved posts. Let each candidate make use of the opportunities for all round development.
