New Delhi: The ban on new engineering colleges has been extended by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) for another two years till 2024. The decision came in view of the 45 per cent seat vacancy reported across engineering institutes across the country in 2020.
The AICTE announced the decision at a stakeholder’s meeting in Nagpur on December 17.
“A committee was appointed to once again study the current scenario. In their report, they have rightfully suggested the ban on new colleges be extended by two years. Seat vacancy in engineering colleges has only slightly improved, but for it to get better, this ban on new institutes needs to continue,” AICTE chairman Anil Sahasrabuddhe confirmed.
It has been noted that admissions to engineering institutes are on the decline in the last five years – from 3 million engineering seats (including undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma) in 2015-16, the intake capacity dipped to 2.4 million in the 2020-21 academic year.
In 2021, AICTE in 2021 accepted closure applications from 63 institutes, while 32 institutes sought withdrawal of approval. As many as 500 institutes in India did not apply for approval continuation for the 2021-22 academic year.
“New institute approvals have only been allowed in districts with not enough government-funded engineering institutes in order to give aspirants the option of studying closer to home. In the last two years, only government-funded new institute approvals have been accepted in order to ensure engineering seats are affordable for students,” the AICTE chairman added.
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