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Wednesday, Mar 16, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Leader Page Articles

Engineering quality

By V. Jayanth

The time has come to step up the level of monitoring and regulation to ensure that States are not saddled with too many sub-standard, self-financing engineering colleges.

IN RECENT years, there has been an exponential growth in the number of engineering colleges, particularly private self-financing institutions. Though they have contributed in no small measure to the expansion of technical education in the country, it cannot be denied that they function for purely commercial reasons. Of late, they have registered an uneven growth. They have mushroomed all over the southern States, much more than in other parts of India.

According to the figures of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in 2004, there were 1,346 engineering colleges in the country, with an approved annual intake of 4,39,689 students. Of them, 703 institutions are located in the four southern States and the Union Territory of Pondicherry, accounting for an intake of 2,36,545 students. Obviously, professional education, more so technical education, has become a passion in the south with many students from other States also seeking admission to the colleges there. In comparison, there are 112 colleges in the central region, 114 in the east, 106 in the north, 153 in the northwest and 158 in the west.

Karnataka has frozen the number of engineering colleges at 118, but their numbers are growing in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, which have 254 and 236 institutions offering a variety of engineering courses. Kerala is not far behind with 89 colleges and Pondicherry had six last year. Andhra Pradesh had the highest capacity of 82,970 students, followed by Tamil Nadu with 80,417. Karnataka offers 46,375 seats and Kerala 24,413.

This proliferation has led to quite a few problems — for the State Governments, students and parents, and the colleges themselves, not to mention courts that are brought into the picture every year before and after the admission season. The AICTE had all along taken the line that the disparity in the distribution of colleges was not a cause for worry. The southern States, it argued, also provided engineers for the whole country. There was no problem where the institutions were located as long as they generated the numbers required, it said.

Even this logic is running out of steam now. Last year, Karnataka decided not to admit any student from outside the State, except in the Central quota under the All India Engineering Entrance Examination (AIEEE). And Karnataka was a pioneer in self-financing colleges, with students not only from all over the country but even from neighbouring countries in the region flocking to the State. That role has now shifted to Tamil Nadu in large measure and Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Pondicherry to a lesser extent.

Another complication that has developed since last year is the different mode of admission to various institutions. It cannot be more complicated and confusing for the students and their parents. The education administrators and the mushrooming colleges must take the blame for the situation, which is unhelpful to say the least.

In most States, admission was partially centralised through a common entrance test. The rest of it was done directly by the private colleges under what is known as the "management quota." Following the Supreme Court ruling in the Islamic Academy case, the private colleges have come together to form a consortium that hosts a common entrance test. The State Government or its apex institution (Anna University in Tamil Nadu) holds the State-level entrance examination and common counselling. In addition, the Deemed Universities go about their admissions on their own. These institutions come under the University Grants Commission. For poor students, there are at least three or four channels of admission in each State. They have therefore to take different entrance tests, apply separately for each category of institutions and finally choose where to study. Parents from the rural areas have to take their wards to the urban or semi-urban centres to appear for tests and interviews. This involves extra effort, more money and suspense.

In the friction and confusion that has been generated, the State Governments are often at loggerheads with the private colleges because the need for regulation and uniform standards are being felt increasingly. In Tamil Nadu for instance, the Anna University was converted into an affiliating university to which all the private, self-financing colleges were attached. Aside from holding the entrance test and common counselling for admission to the State quota, this premier technical university also tried to enforce uniform standards in teaching, in providing the requisite infrastructure and enhancing the academic levels through tougher examinations. But this has been resented. While securing recognition from the AICTE, the new colleges promise the sun and the moon but most often fail to deliver. The recognition is extended on a yearly basis. The students — as well as their parents — go through a harrowing time as they try to ensure they complete their education with full recognition for the institution.

Another problem that has cropped up is in the issue of getting `No Objection Certificates' from the State Government for new colleges before securing recognition from the AICTE. The courts have increasingly taken the view that an NOC is not required as long as the AICTE grants recognition to the college or course. As a result, the States have no say or control over the number of engineering colleges that are set up in the region. Nor can they exercise any control over the physical infrastructure or faculty that is provided at the time of approval. In many cases, retired professors and lecturers are absorbed in the private colleges and not all of them get paid well. If the States find that there are too many colleges and not enough candidates, they must have a say in putting an end to the opening of new institutions. Otherwise, the unwanted colleges will anyhow die a natural death.

An experimental measure adopted by the AICTE may be the solution. The council has set up regional bodies to monitor the growth of institutions. For instance, the regional council in the south has representatives from the State and the universities. The Anna University has also got into the system of deputing technical expert teams to new colleges to take a look at the existing facilities. It inspects established colleges to ensure that they have kept the promises made at the time of securing recognition and provided the infrastructure they undertook to create for a particular level of intake. This process needs to be strengthened. A system of annual or two-yearly inspections by the AICTE/Anna University panel should be put in place so that all the colleges can be duly accredited and graded. The National Council for Accreditation will be more than willing to help these private colleges meet the requirements.

Similarly, the confusion prevailing in entrance examinations will also have to solved sooner than later. Forcing the students to appear for an all-India, a State level, a private and then the Deemed Universities' entrance tests is asking for too much. The Union Human Resource Development Ministry must take the initiative to get the UGC, the AICTE, the State Education Ministers and the associations of private colleges together to agree on a common format. As in foreign countries, a common national examination should provide a uniform grading system for students. After determining a basic qualifying mark to secure admission to various engineering courses, universities and colleges should be free to admit students on merit, also following the reservation norms. At least in the southern States, which account for more than 50 per cent of the seats, there are more seats than candidates. This has been obvious in the last couple of years, at the close of admissions. Such a system can put an end to all the confusion that prevails every year and the litigation that has become so much a part of the admission process.

But it must also be said that some of the Government as well as private self-financing colleges have done exceedingly well. These colleges continue to attract the best talent in the country and many of them have become Deemed Universities. Quite a few of them have tied up with foreign universities for exchange of faculty, training and even part-studies for students. They are in a different league altogether.

The time has indeed come to step up the level of monitoring and regulation to ensure that States are not saddled with too many sub-standard institutions that only want to make a fast buck. It will also ensure that students do not risk getting admission to colleges that lack both in faculty and facilities. Of course, over a period of time, the law of the jungle — survival of the fittest — will apply. It is better to go through and complete this process before India gets ready to receive the foreign universities, which are expected to set up shop or enter into collaborative arrangements with local institutions under the World Trade Organisation commitments.

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