Tech seats in AP cross 3 lakh mark

Engineering seats in the state crossed the three-lakh mark this year with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) approving an additional 42,000 seats in existing and new colleges for the current academic year 2011-12. But though the total number of engineering seats increased to 3.12 lakh, the number of students who qualified in Eamcet engineering stream this year was only 2.07 lakh, leaving an excess of 1.05 lakh seats. Till date, the state had an intake of 2.7 lakh students in 707 engineering colleges. This year the AICTE has permitted another seven new colleges apart from approving additional intake in the existing colleges.

From less than 10,000 seats in 35 engineering colleges in 1996 to the current 3.12 lakh seats in 714 engineering colleges, the state has come a long way. But the issue of “quality” remains a major concern. There were just 35,000 seats in the state when the government had initiated the online Eamcet online counselling for admissions in 2000. The intake increased by 2.77 lakh in a decade from 2000 to 2010.

However, as per a recent Nasscom survey, only about 10 per cent of the students graduating out of engineering colleges in the state are employable. Recalling his past experiences with engineering admissions in the late 90s, Prof. D.N. Reddy, vice-chancellor, JNTU-Hyderabad, said: “At that time, due to fewer seats available in the state, the students and parents used to consider it a boon to get admissions in any college. Now that the seats have surpassed the number of aspirants, it has given them a wider choice to opt for only those colleges which maintain quality with regard to faculty and infrastructure. Today, we see thousands of students competing for a seat in top colleges despite seats in other colleges.”

Thus the colleges which maintain certain standards are not worried about the seats surpassing the number of aspirants. “We are not bothered about thousands of seats going vacant as there will always be a demand for seats in colleges which maintain standards. It will affect only the incompetent colleges. The focus has shifted from quantity to quality,” said Dr Rajeshwar Reddy, general secretary, Consortium of Engineering Colleges Managements Association of AP.