No more New Engineering Colleges to open in AP

The lack of students admission to the engineering colleges for the engineering courses in Andhra Pradesh made the state government to take decision on the opening of the new engineering colleges in the state.

The state cabinet decided that no more new engineering colleges would be allowed to come up in the state and also capped the number of students that existing engineering colleges can admit the students each year to 420 students per college.

Around 717 engineering colleges are presently running in the state, as a result that figure will not go up from the current year. However, for accredited colleges, the number of new admissions per college has been capped at 540 students. But the cabinet decided to give some exemptions. If any management comes forward to set up engineering colleges in the backward districts of Srikakulam, Mahbubnagar, Adilabad and Anantapur and also ensure that the requires standards are maintained, a few colleges would be allowed in these districts.

The expert committee headed by former bureaucrat K Lakshminarayana that was appointed in 201o to suggest modalities and remedial measures for strengthening un-aided professional institutions, which recommended the cabinet to take this decision on the opening up of engineering colleges.

Overall of 3.44,986 seats were present in 717 engineering colleges in the state, up from an intake of 82,225 students studying in 237 colleges in 2004-05. In 2010-11, approximately 30% of the engineering seats left vacant, while current academic year nearly 50% seats were left vacant. In addition, the increased number of engineering colleges has put enormous strain on the availability of qualified teaching manpower, this affecting the quality of education and employability, an official said.

For all these reasons, the state government requested the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), New Delhi no to sanction second shift of sections in the existing engineering colleges. Also, the state government decided to recommend to AICTE imposition of ceiling on the number of seats in undergraduate engineering, MBA and MCA courses, as per the recommendations of the expert committee.

Welcoming the move, Vidya Samasthala Parirakshana Samithi, a body representing engineering college managements, stated that they have been repeatedly asking AICTE to put a cap on the seat allotment in the existing engineering colleges. "We have been asking AICTE since the past three years to not approve proposals for new colleges as the existing seats are not getting filled.

Currently, 3.2 lakh engineering seat are available in 717 engineering colleges and over 40% of then no takers. Under these circumstances, the cabinet decision is welcome," said K V K Roa, president of the managements association.