Mumbai: Now one can become an engineer by earning a six-year BTech degree directly after Class X in private educational institutes bypassing the competitive exams like JEE and state CETs. This is a shift from the traditional practice of four-year BTech courses.
The private institutes are registering candidates after Class X and offering a lifetime package deal: “freedom-from-all-competitive-exams”.
Now, with Class X exams have been cancelled owing to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, engineering admissions are taking place on the basis of ninth-grade scores in several places.
“This programme uses the alternative route to get the BTech degree. There is a lot of stress among students who have to give multiple exams for engineering. The university offers diploma. We don’t follow the state’s polytechnic curriculum or exams,” explained NMIMS director of the six-year BTech programme, Seema Shah was quoted as saying by The Times of India.
Autonomous private varsities charge a hefty sum for the course. “After three years, the student gets a diploma and at the end of six years the candidate is awarded BTech degree. Students spend all six years in technical education which makes them better engineers,” Amit Patel of Gujarat’s Ganpat University told the national daily.
Patel answered negatively when asked whether it allows the students to take admission into a polytechnic and join the engineering college in year two laterally.
“No. We have set up a separate Institute of Technology which offers a six-year programme. Both the diploma and the degree are awarded by the university,” Patel said.
“Universities can give diplomas, degrees and certifications. That seems to be the provision that these universities are exploiting,” former AICTE chairman, SS Mantha told the paper.
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