COIMBATORE: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has sought suggestions from technical education institutions for changes to be made in Approval Process Handbook for 2016-17. These are aimed at improving the process of granting approval and on maintaining better transparency and accountability.
They should also inform it of the difficulties they face in filling up applications online and in understanding AICTE’s regulations, procedures and norms.
In a public notice, AICTE said that in view of certain orders of the Supreme Court, the Council needs to ensure timely processing of approval applications for the 2016-17 academic year.
On December 13, 2012, the Supreme Court had ordered it sticks to an agreed-upon academic calendar. Later - on April 25, 2013 - it ruled that colleges affiliated to a university do not come under the purview of the definition of a technical institution under the AICTE Act.
However, in subsequent judgements - on April 17, 2014, May 9, 2014 and December 15, 2014 - the court made AICTE’s prior approval compulsory and mandatory to conduct technical courses, including management courses, by an existing, affiliated technical institution as well as new ones which will require affiliation by a university to conduct its technical course.
“The difficulties now facing private engineering colleges mainly stem from the wrong ‘survival of the fittest’ policy of AICTE’s former chairman. It has virtually killed technical education in the country,” said T D Eswaramoorthy, joint secretary, Association of Management of Coimbatore Anna University Affiliated Colleges.
Their main problems concern the large increase in student strength and in new courses. About 8.5 lakh of the 18 lakh engineering seats in the country now remain vacant. The main reason for this is colleges having a very large number of seats in one course, he said.
“There should not be more than 120 seats in one branch. Some colleges have up to 300. Those with over 120 seats should be inspected, and if possible, the strength reduced. Also, only NBA-accredited colleges should be allowed to increase the number of seats from 60 to 120 in one course,” said Eswaramoorthy.
A proper policy and strict regulations should be put in place to approve any increase of student strength as well as to improve the quality of technical education, he added.