Bengaluru, Jul 29: More than 13,000 undergraduate engineering seats under the government quota are lying vacant in colleges across the State, at the end of the Common Entrance Test (CET) counselling. College managements foresee that more than 25,000 engineering seats are likely to go unclaimed this year.
For instance, in Sri Sairam College of Engineering, Bengaluru, 42 seats are vacant in Electronics and Communication while in Bangalore College of Engineering and Technology, 34 seats in Electronics and Communication, 22 in Computer Science and 26 in Electronics and Electricals are vacant. These are but two examples among several colleges in the city.
At present, the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) has kept open these seats for candidates who have cleared the II PU through supplementary exams. The counselling process for the same is under progress. However, not all these seats are expected to be filled through this round. Further, adding to the list of unclaimed seats will be those remaining from the ComedK seat counselling and any other seat that the college managements would surrender to the State government.
While the ComedK is all set to wrap up its counselling on Wednesday, there were 9,554 engineer seats remaining vacant under its quota as on Tuesday. When the ComedK began its second (and final) round of counselling, 10,171 seats were on offer.
Both the government and the ComedK officials said there would be no further rounds of counselling through CET or ComedK, as they are required to complete the admission process by July 30 as per Supreme Court directions.
Colleges on crutches
Many unaided engineering colleges are struggling for survival and their poor infrastructure is driving away students. Colleges are unable to hire competent teaching faculty. In several colleges, BE graduates are teaching students pursuing the same course while the UGC regulations specify that the minimum qualification for a professor has to be a Masters in Engineering. Even these candidates are advised to complete their PhD soon. However, colleges are unable to afford qualified staff.
“For a masters candidate, salary expected is between Rs 75,000 and Rs one lakh and for a PhD holder it is up to Rs 1.25 lakh per month,” said M K Panduranga Setty, Chairman, Karnataka Unaided Private Engineering Colleges Association (KUPECA).
This being the case, students prefer studying other courses than end up in a college that does not guarantee placements. Out of the 206 engineering colleges across the State there are only about 25 colleges which meet the UGC and AICTE requirements, according to Setty. This trend of seats going vacant is likely to continue if the govt fails to enforce strict regulations to monitor the standards in unaided colleges, he added. However, Setty's comment was not directed at any institution in particular.
Remaining vacant seats
College Branch No of vacant Seats
Sri Revana Siddeshwara Institute of Technology, Mechanical Engineering 68
Bengaluru
City Engg College, Bengaluru Electronics & Communication 81
Yellamma Dasappa Institute of Technology, Electronics & Communication 104
Bengaluru
Bheemanna Khandre Institute of Technology, Electronics & Communication 92
Bhalki
KVG College of Engineering, Sullia Computer Science 67
Comments
Add new comment