Lok Sabha Question No. 1986 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-13
Subject: Quality Education to Engineering Students
Ministry: Education
Asked by: Ramya  Haridas, Ravneet Singh

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1986 TO BE ANSWERED ON 13.03.2023

## Quality Education to Engineering Students

1986.   MS. RAMYA HARIDAS: SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU:

Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the popularity of the core engineering courses have been decreasing in the past few years and if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether the AICTE propose to ease norms to boost admissions in core engineering courses, if so, the details thereof along with the likely date of implementation of the revised norms in this regard;
- (c) the  efforts  made  by  All  India  Council  for  Technical  Education  (AICTE)  to  provide quality education to engineering students in view of problem of employability of engineering graduates  and  quality  of  education  provided  in  engineering  colleges  and  to  bolster  the employability of engineering students;
- (d) whether more than 1.2 lakh seats have been surrendered by Government engineering institutions during the last three years, if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (e) the reforms that AICTE is planning to bring in engineering education, internship, etc.?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION (DR. SUBHAS SARKAR)

(a) to (b): The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) had put a moratorium on opening of new institutions in traditional areas of Engineering and Technology at Degree and Diploma and PG Level from Academic Year 2020-21 onwards for a period of two years in the wake of low capacity utilization in Technical Institutes. To review the moratorium from Academic Year 2022-23 onwards, AICTE constituted a committee under the chairmanship of Shri B.V.R. Mohan Reddy. The committee while recommending to continue moratorium on new Engineering Institutions, exempted institutes created by well- meaning philanthropists, educationists or educational institutions to create new institutions of excellence, institutes in aspirational districts and institutes imparting emerging and cutting edge technologies, so as to remove  the  imbalance  between  core  areas  of  engineering  and  new  emerging  technologies such as data science and artificial intelligence and to reinforce India's leadership in STEM.

Further,  to  boost  admissions  in  core  emerging  courses,  including  Civil,  Mechanical,  and Electronics, AICTE has now allowed students pursuing these programmes flexibility to also pursue minor degree in any emerging area.

(c)  to(e):  The  AICTE  is  constantly  endeavouring  to  enhance  the  quality  of  Technical Education  and  to  bolster  their  employability.  For  the  purpose,  the  following  programs/ schemes are being implemented by AICTE:

- i. Revision of Curriculum,
- ii. Examination Reforms,
- iii. Induction Program (Human Values)
- iv. Student Internship
- v. Teacher Training
- vi. Mandatory Accreditation with NBA
- vii. Hackathons e.g. Smart India Hackathon (SIH)

The Government in association with AICTE has also launched National Educational Alliance for  Technology  (NEAT)  to  offer  the  best  technological  solutions  in  education  to  enhance youth employability. AICTE has also developed an Internship Portal (https://internship.aicteindia.org)  to  provide  the  internships  to  Indian  students  in  various  government  and  private sectors. The  portal brings together the internship  opportunities  different  Government Ministries,  Departments,  Autonomous  Bodies,  Corporates  Sector,  NGOs,  Start-ups,  and Research organizations.

Further, the seats surrendered by AICTE approved Government Engineering Institutes have consistently come down from 14,441 in 2020-21 to 7,155 in 2022-23.

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