The Hindu : National : AICTE reduces number of seats

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Wednesday, Jun 08, 2005

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National

AICTE reduces number of seats

Special Correspondent

98 out of 3,849 institutions barred from admitting students Besides faculty shortage, the institutes' shortcomings include absence of qualified principals, poor remuneration to teachers, contractual appointments, overcrowding of colleges due to unapproved programmes and absence of basic facilities.

NEW DELHI: Concerned by "faculty shortage both in terms of quantity and quality" in many technical institutes across the country, the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has barred 98 of the 3,849 institutions under it from admitting students for the coming academic year. The sanctioned intake in a number of courses was also reduced by over 38,000.

The 98 institutions have been given time till July 7 this year to correct their faculty deficiencies if they want to admit students for the 2005-06 academic year.

As a result, the sanctioned intake for the coming academic year is 4,52,260 for Engineering, 72,032 in MBA/PGDBM, 48,537 in MCA, and 25,367 in Pharmacy.

This brings down the availability of seats in technical courses by 38,101 since last year, when the sanctioned intake was 4,77,595 in Engineering, 75,048 in MBA/PGDBM, 56,766 in MCA and 26,890 in Pharmacy.

Of the institutes barred from making admissions, seven offer engineering courses, 18 are institutes of management, 65 teach MCA and eight teach pharmacy.

The sanctioned intake for courses in Hotel Management and Catering Technology and Fine Arts has been maintained at the 2004-05 level.

The decision to reduce seats was taken after the Council found several "deficiencies" in many of the institutions offering technical courses to meet the growing demand for professional education.

Besides faculty shortage, the institutes' shortcomings include absence of qualified principals, poor remuneration to teachers, contractual and temporary appointments, overcrowding of colleges due to unapproved and multiple programmes and absence of basic facilities.

The AICTE said though the deficiencies were so widespread that it mandated greater reduction in intake, "faculty shortage" was made the lone reference point for this year to contain the impact of such a decision. Additional courses/increase in intake has been sanctioned only where each of the existing courses in an institution is running satisfactorily.

The extension of approval is subject to rectification of deficiencies by August 31, 2005.

In cases where faculty shortage is up to 25 per cent of the required strength, the intake has been maintained at the existing level. Where faculty shortfall in a course is between 25 per cent and 50 per cent, a pro-rata reduction in the course intake has been made.

Only in courses where the faculty strength is below 50 per cent of the required limit has admission been put on hold.

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