Government 'bans' opening of new engineering colleges for 2 years: Everything you need to know
The first phase of JEE (Joint Entrance Exam) Main 2020 was held last month. The national-level competitive exam is conducted by National Testing Agency (NTA) for admission into various undergraduate engineering and architecture courses -- mainly in National Institutes of Technology (NIT), Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIT) and other government-funded technical institutes (GFTIs). In another big development for engineering aspirants in the country, the government banned opening of any new engineering colleges in the country for the next two years earlier. In an announcement earlier this month, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) said that application for no new engineering colleges will be accepted till the year 2022. Here's all you need to know about this move and more ...
Timeline of the ban: Till the year 2022
No fresh applications for setting up new engineering institutes will be accepted till 2022. “In view of the large number of vacant seats in various programs during the last few years and the likely future demand, the council shall not grant approval to new technical institutions at the diploma/undergraduate/postgraduate level in engineering and technology,” states the new AICTE handbook that defines the guidelines for the coming academic year. The ban decision will be reviewed after two years.
Reason behind the ban: 50% seats remained vacant during 2019-2020 admission season
The decision is based on the experience of the 2019-20 admission season, which saw almost 50% of seats in this technical stream remain vacant. According to the AICTE report, if one looked at seats available versus students admitted, the number stood as low as 49.8%.
Reason behind the ban: Poor campus placements
As per AICTE data, in 2019, merely six lakh graduates found jobs during campus placements.
New engineering colleges allowed: Only those starting courses in emerging areas
“Creating any further capacity is a big drain on investments since, at the very basic level, it involves the creation of physical infrastructures like buildings and laboratory infrastructure. We recommend that we do not create any new capacity starting from the academic year 2020. The creation of new capacity can be reviewed every two years after that,” states AICTE report.