The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : No new professional colleges next year

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 16, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

No new professional colleges next year

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, DEC. 15. The Government has decided not to permit establishment of new engineering colleges, pharmacy colleges and MBA and MCA colleges in the State for the academic year 2005-2006.

However, No Objection Certificates (NOC) will be given for setting up B. architecture colleges and hotel management & catering technology institutions provided these colleges are set up in Government specified locations.

Missive to AICTE

Stating the Government's policy, a letter was sent to the authorities concerned in the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on Wednesday. The letter asked the AICTE not to consider the requests of the 17 societies that had applied for establishment of new engineering colleges and four societies that applied for pharmacy colleges in response to the AICTE notification of 2003 and in respect of whom status reports were sent by the State Government after the cut-off date for issue of NOCs for the year 2004-2005 was over.

The Government also made it clear that their earlier decision, sent to the AICTE on September 7, 2004, with regard to proposals by these societies, should be considered null and void in view of the new policy.

According to an official, the decision was taken in view of the burgeoning number of unfilled seats in engineering colleges. During the last four years, the un-filled seats have increased from a mere 493 in 2001-2002 to 15,923 this year.

Vacant seats

The figure is only from the convener's quota and the Government expects that an additional 10,000 to 15,000 seats in the management quota are also vacant. As of now, there are 238 engineering colleges with an intake capacity of 82,345 seats. The intake in B. Pharmacy colleges is 3,240 in 55 colleges while in MBA it is 13,360 seats in 217 MBA colleges and 17,060 seats in 313 MCA colleges.

"With respect to B. pharmacy colleges, the Government considers that the present intake has already reached a saturation stage and permitting additional colleges will create a situation similar to that of engineering stream," says P.T. Prabhakar, Joint Director, Technical Education Department.

The Government would, however, allow B. architecture colleges and hotel management & catering technology institutions to be set up in Hyderabad, Vijayawada, Vishakapatnam, Tirupati, Rajahmundry, Kurnool and Warangal. The condition is that the location of these colleges should be within the Urban Development Authority/Corporation/Municipality limits.

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