AICTE to shut down technical colleges with less than 30% admissions

Bhubaneswar: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to close down technical colleges which have recorded less than 30 percent admissions in the last five years. AICTE, the regulator for technical education in the country informed about the decision in its Approval Process Handbook (2017 – 2018) and has sought suggestions from all state governments for its implementation.

The AICTE will implement its decision from the coming year. However, Odisha Private Engineering Colleges Association (OPECA) in a letter to AICTE has asked the latter to consider closing colleges based on admissions in the last three years rather than five years.

“No one should have any problem with AICTE’s decision as there is no justification of running colleges which very few students choose. But since the AICTE proposed the decision last year they should consider admissions of last year, this year and the coming year before shutting the colleges based on the past five years’ record,” said Secretary of OPECA, Binod Das.

Maximum seats are lying vacant in engineering, MBA and MCA courses in the State since the last few years; especially, there has been a drop in engineering admissions. More than 60 percent seats are lying vacant even after Odisha Joint Entrance Examination (OJEE) was conducted twice this year.

While 67 percent seats in engineering courses were vacant in 2014, it was 60 percent in 2015 and 61 percent in 2016. Even though seats are also lying vacant in the current year, Board of Management of Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT) is unhappy with AICTE's decision.

“AICTE arriving at a decision based on one parameter is not valid. In my opinion the colleges should be safeguarded for education of future generations,” said member of BPUT’s Board of Management, Sunil Sarangi.

More than half of technical colleges in Odisha will be affected if the rule is implemented.