Affiliated system in engineering education
ARUMUGAM BALAKRISHNAN
In Tamil Nadu, there are 253 engineering institutions/colleges as per the data available in the All-India Council of Technical Education’s website (updated during academic session 2004-2005). Out of these, 14 institutions are deemed universities, 13 are State, Central and State government aided institutions. The remaining 226 are purely private self-financing institutions, affiliated to Anna University.
Anna University was formed in 1978 by bringing together and integrating the four technical institutions viz., College of Engineering(COE), Alagappa College of Technology(ACT) School of Architecture and Planning(SAP) in the main campus and Madras Institute of Technology (MIT) in Chromepet. In 2001, it became a large University. The affiliated self-financing private colleges are neither closely connected nor associated with the Anna University. State, Central and State government-aided institutions are mostly autonomous. For the remaining private self-financing affiliated private institutions Anna University is concerned with examination, evaluation of answer papers, publication of results and award of degrees.
The curriculum, academic and examination schedules and evaluation system are different than that of three engineering colleges, i.e., two within Anna University Campus(COE & ACT) and the one at Chromepet (MIT). For every course title, internal assessment system is prevalent in the three colleges (COE, ACT & MIT) and in the affiliated colleges. The course title is a subject paper of the curriculum of each branch of engineering stream. The maximum marks allotted for the above three university colleges is 50.
Inequalities
An undergraduate student of any one of the above three colleges with regular attendance in his class and with a good score in class tests in the course titles may even get the maximum marks in the internal assessment. In the University examination he is required to obtain 25 marks out of remaining 50 marks for a pass. In the affiliated colleges, 20 marks are allotted for the internal assessment for a course title. In the University Examination, a student is required to obtain 36 marks out of 80 for a pass. A student in an affiliated college could only obtain 56 per cent with minimum pass marks in University examination and with maximum internal assessment marks. The students in the three University colleges could obtain 75 per cent with minimum pass marks in the university examination and with maximum marks in internal assessment. A student of an affiliated college is in a disadvantageous position in respect of grades in the University Examination because of the difference in the examination and evaluation system of Anna University and that of the affiliated colleges.
When an institution is adopted by Anna University, the curriculum, the academic schedule, examination and evaluation pattern should be the same as prescribed to the three university colleges, viz., COE, ACT and MIT. Then the affiliated colleges would get an equal status with the three institutions.
Incubation method
In due course of time these affiliated colleges will get liberated to an autonomous system by association with Anna University. Introduction of a common examination and evaluation system to all engineering colleges is not a cumbersome task.
The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) conducts examination all over India with a common syllabus to all school students. The Directorate of Government Examinations, government of Tamil Nadu, conducts examinations for higher secondary and secondary school students all over Tamil Nadu. Most of the self-financing private engineering colleges function with less qualified or inexperienced faculty. A new engineering college will have to be put under the process of metamorphosis to acquire the status of ‘centre for excellence’.
The Indian Institute of Information Technology, Design and Manufacturing, Kancheepuram, established in 2007 by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, was incubated by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, with the support of its staff and faculty members. Anna University can strive to emulate the role of CBSE with respect to the conduct of examination and the role of IIT-Madras with respect to incubation of new colleges. Determination is required to emulate.
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