All India Technical Education Council (Aikte) has lifted its moratorium on the establishment of new engineering colleges to give impetus to core engineering branches and courses in emerging technologies. The move comes three years after AICTE stopped approving new universities due to low enrollment. Following the easing, the new university will have to apply for at least “three core engineering courses” and one in an emerging field, says his AICTE handbook for 2023-24. In addition, subject to eligibility criteria, interested non-profit organizations/trusts or companies under Section 8 or central/state government/UT administrative bodies, or societies/trusts registered with them, may establish Technical Institutions.Universities offering interdisciplinary disciplines are preferred stem Course in line with NEP 2020.
Rajive Kumar, Member Secretary of AICTE said: State governments were given the flexibility to start engineering colleges in ambitious districts that did not have engineering colleges. A total of 104 institutions have opened in the last three years as exceptions to the ban. ”
Professor KN Balasubramanya Murthy, Vice Chancellor of Dayananda Sagar University in Bengaluru, explained that the decision may have been made because digital transformation has created new job opportunities (41 million from 191). Over the next five years he will make $1 million). The emergence of his AI-ML technology in all aspects of work and life and his NEP-2020 recommendation to increase his GER to near his 50 in the next 10 to 15 years are other possible factors. There is a nature. “The intention is to have engineering colleges in every aspiring district in the country (of which his 220 districts), as opposed to about 180 districts currently covered,” he says. .
After analyzing data from the last four to five years, AICTE found that the percentage of enrollments in core engineering disciplines and emerging technologies increased last year, in contrast to the previous downward curve. For 2017-18, there were 35,50,947 accepted enrollments, 18,95,452 total enrollments and 7,16,370 placements. From 2020 to 2021, the number of accepted enrollments was 30,87,107, the total enrollment was 16,91,572, and the number of students placed was 7,37,033. Student enrollment surged to 17,59,885 and student numbers placed were 8,22,819.
Committee chaired by a professor Threepad Kalmarkar, Director IIT Bhubaneswar was constituted to recommend lifting the moratorium after due deliberation. “Universities started core engineering courses and minors were encouraged to start in emerging/thrust fields. Regulations have also been created, ”he says Kumar. The AICTE handbook lists key areas that could be explored in future laboratories, such as automotive engineering, computer science, electronics and mechanical engineering.In emerging fields, microelectronics and VLSI, EV-Technology, AI, IoT, AR/VR, etc. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the envisaged program, students can pursue sub-degrees in areas such as AI and ML, Blockchain, Nutritional Technology and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS). “A trust/association offering general education or running a medical college may start a technical college if it meets the AICTE eligibility criteria for offering interdisciplinary courses. According to the AICTE model curriculum, 4 Of the 160 credits required to earn an annual BTech degree, students must earn 80 credits in core engineering departments, with the remaining credits in compulsory and extra-curricular electives, humanities, It must be earned through the social and basic sciences, and this distribution of credits across different disciplines ensures a culture of interdisciplinary education,” says Kumar.
“Interdisciplinary STEM courses can keep engineering seats from becoming vacant,” he says. Manoj Pandey, co-director, Amity University School of Engineering, added that the Amity School will help meet industry demand, enhance problem-solving and improve graduate employability. “Furthermore, by upskilling faculty, skill-based learning and improving infrastructure, the vacancy problem can be addressed even in new universities,” said Bangalore’s Dayananda Sagar University of Technology (DSCE) Principal, BG. Prasad says UGC is based on this idea. Number of cluster institutions/universities to overcome faculty shortages in interdisciplinary subjects.
The moratorium, both in its invocation and in its dissolution, provides an excellent opportunity for engineering institutions to quickly incorporate the missing emerging technology component into existing programs and empower graduates to handle new-age jobs with confidence. provided, Murthy says. Engineering seats may still be available at institutions that do not accept essential amendments. “New universities need to focus on the basic skills and application mindset of their students in order to position themselves. I will,” he adds.
