AICTE warns Karnataka government engineering colleges over facilities, tells them to trim admissions

According to experts on the AICTE scrutiny panels, most of the government engineering colleges in Karnataka have failed to follow the council's guidelines on maintaining the teacher-student ratio, qualified staff, providing well-equipped laboratories, anti-ragging cells, internal complaints committee to handle sexual harassment complaints, and insuring students. AICTE’s scrutiny committee reports on this have been submitted directly to individual government engineering colleges, a copy of which has also been submitted to the department of technical education, under which government engineering colleges function in the state.

HU Talwar, director, the state department of technical education, said they plan to go before the authority. “We have an option to appeal against recommendations by scrutiny panels before the AICTE, and have informed principals of all government engineering colleges to do so. As this is not the final decision of AICTE, we cannot say that admission is rejected or intake has been reduced,” said Talwar.

As per information available with AICTE, Wednesday was the last date for colleges to file their appeals online, before AICTE. Of the 11 government engineering colleges, at least one of them (refer box) has been recommended not to admit students for the coming academic year. One has been asked to curtail admission intake by 50 per cent; one by 25 per cent, and a third by 10per cent. Three of the colleges have been recommended expert committee visits, one has been asked to submit records relating to recruitment of staff, and three have been allowed admissions with a warning.

It was an online exercise which the colleges do annually, wherein principals of the colleges — including private and aided — fill in necessary details sought by AICTE and these details are scrutinised by committees constituted by AICTE and its regional offices. The recommendations and compliance with deficiencies are sent to colleges for further action. Scrutiny committees at the regional level invited each of the principals and explained to them the deficiencies, and exercise conducted by AICTE for the first time.

Dr KC Krishna, principal, Government Engineering College, KR Pet, where intake has been reduced by 10%, said, “The scrutiny committee had recommended reducing 10% intake for our college, and the major deficiency is shortage of faculty. In place of 48, we have 36. We have appealed before the authority and requested the government to provide qualified staff. We are managing with part-time staff....”

Prof Chandrashekar, principal, Sri Krishnarajendra Silver Jubilee Technological Institute, said, “For us, the scrutiny committee has issued a warning to take up student insurance immediately, and recommended admission from next year. We will fulfil the conditions, and send a report to AICTE.”

Why is the state government setting up more colleges?

When many government engineering colleges are suffering due to lack of basic necessities like qualified staff and laboratories, the question is why it is setting up new government engineering colleges.  In the recent cabinet meeting, the state government approved setting up a new government engineering college at Mosale Hosahalli in Hassan.