If you ask any student interested in pursuing professional courses, engineering and medicine still top the list of priorities. Every year, the number of engineering colleges, seats available and students qualifying for engineering courses through the Common Entrance Test (CET) conducted by Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA), COMED-K UGET and other entrance examinations continues to increase. . Yet, paradoxically, the number of engineering seats not allotted after the counseling process is also increasing annually.
CET-2024 and COMED-K counseling processes were completed recently, leaving a total of 32,379 engineering and architecture seats vacant. Of the 79,907 government quota seats available through KEA, 13,653 engineering seats remained vacant. In COMED-K category, 18,726 out of 26,373 seats remained vacant.
Of the total engineering seats available in the state, 45% of government quota seats are filled through CET, 30% through COMED-K, and 25% through management and non-resident Indian quota.
This year, 1,06,280 seats were available in over 245 government, aided and private engineering colleges in the state, but only 73,901 seats were filled, leaving 32,379 seats vacant. A total of 2,74,595 students qualified for admission to engineering courses through CET-2024, while 1,03,799 students qualified through COMED-K.
a look at the past
This trend is not new. In 2021, there were 90,823 engineering seats available in Karnataka. Of the 1.93 lakh students who appeared for CET and 66,304 students who appeared for COMED-K, a total of 2,49,304 students qualified for engineering courses. However, only 60,570 seats were filled, while 30,253 seats remained vacant. Similarly, in 2022, 92,882 seats were available but only 69,946 seats were filled, while 22,936 seats remained vacant, while 2,29,043 students had qualified for engineering courses through CET and COMED-K.
In 2023, out of the 1,00,351 seats available, 82,122 seats were filled, while 18,229 seats remained vacant, although 2,80,614 students qualified for these seats.
declining demand
More than 150 engineering colleges in Karnataka fill private and NRI quota seats through COMED-K UGET. This year, 26,373 COMED-K seats were available, but only 7,647 were filled, leaving 18,726 seats vacant. In 33 engineering colleges, no COMED-K seats were allotted. In fact, only six engineering colleges had 80% seats filled, while 19 colleges had 50% to 80% seats filled. In 20 colleges only 25% to 50% seats were filled and in 75 colleges less than 25% seats were filled.
Last year, 14,354 COMED-K seats remained vacant, with no seat allotment in 29 colleges. 13,149 seats remained vacant in 2022-23.
Experts say that due to high fees, a large number of management seats remain vacant in private colleges. , Photo Credit: File Photo
increase college seats
Experts point out that in recent years, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has relaxed rules on increasing seats in engineering courses. Colleges with adequate infrastructure including buildings and faculty have been allowed to expand their admissions. As a result, many private engineering colleges have increased their number of seats from 500 to 1,000, especially in computer science and related subjects.
This year, AICTE has added 5,929 additional engineering seats in Karnataka, all in computer science and allied courses. Last year, 7,469 additional seats were allotted.
for better regulation
The government believes that private engineering colleges are “indiscriminately” increasing the number of seats, leading to unhealthy competition. To counter this, the state government made it mandatory to seek no objection certificate from authorities before increasing seats or introducing new courses.
Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar had written to AICTE in October 2023 demanding stricter rules, but he said “no proper response was received.”
“Due to the liberal regulations of AICTE, private engineering colleges have steadily increased the number of seats in recent years. Despite our efforts to stop this increase and allow seat increase only in government approved colleges, AICTE has not taken any action. Once permission is granted by AICTE, the state government is bound to comply with it, leading to unhealthy competition among colleges. “Like medical colleges, engineering seats also need to be regulated,” he said. The Hindu,
skyrocketing fees
Sources also said that due to high fees, a large number of management seats remain vacant in private colleges. This year, private engineering colleges have charged at least ₹60 lakh to ₹70 lakh for management and NRI quota seats. Depending on the infrastructure and skill development programmes, fees for COMED-K seats range from ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.81 lakh.
Fees in government engineering colleges range from ₹42,000 to ₹48,000 per year. The government allows private colleges to increase fees by 10% annually. As a result, fees for government quota seats in private colleges now range between ₹1.7 lakh to ₹1.15 lakh. Moreover, private colleges are charging additional fees ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹1.20 lakh for skill development and other services. Therefore, students will have to pay a total of ₹1.2 lakh to ₹2.3 lakh for government quota seats in private colleges. Given these costs, many students are reluctant to enroll in engineering courses, even if they are offered a seat.
“My son passed the COMED-K exam and got a seat in a computer science course in a reputed engineering college in Bengaluru. However, we had to pay around ₹4.5 lakh in total, including college and hostel fees, so we opted for the CET seat instead,” said S Amarnath, a parent from Hassan.
Another major reason for vacant engineering seats is the lack of infrastructure and faculty. Most of the government engineering colleges face shortage of permanent faculty and infrastructure. Many are located in taluks and rural areas, making them less attractive to students.
Private colleges in tier-2 and tier-3 cities are also struggling with inadequate infrastructure and faculty shortage. Teachers in these colleges often seek better opportunities in tier-1 cities, leading to high attrition rates and shortage of qualified teaching staff.
lack of placement
Another reason for the declining demand for engineering courses is the lack of placement opportunities. Apart from the top 20 colleges in the state, according to sources, consistent placement has been an issue in recent years.
Nirmal Raj, a student who completed B.Sc. Chose. course on engineering, said, “I applied to top 20 colleges for a computer science course but I did not get a seat. Instead, I was offered a seat in Mechanical Engineering. Since there are less placement opportunities for Mechanical Engineering in Karnataka, I skipped CET counseling and pursued B.Sc. Decided to do. in computer science.
Acknowledging the declining demand for engineering courses, COMED-K honorary secretary MR Jayaram attributed this to the lack of job opportunities for engineering graduates.
“Not only COMED-K seats but thousands of government quota seats have remained vacant. The main question of students is whether they will get a job after completing their engineering degree. Every year around 1.1 lakh students graduate in engineering in the state, but only 19,000 (10%) get employed. Neither the state nor the central government is doing enough to create jobs,” he said.
Skill shortage is another challenge. “Almost 90% of our engineering graduates lack essential skills, which affects their employability. However, the Central and State Governments are not giving enough emphasis on skill development programmes. Only a few private colleges have adopted programs necessary to prepare students for the job market. As a result, students prefer these colleges, while seats remain vacant in others,” Mr. Jayaram said.
computer science on top
Despite this gloomy outlook, computer science and allied courses are seeing high demand, mainly due to the related placement opportunities. Of the 18,794 seats available in Computer Science through CET, 18,157 seats have been filled, leaving only 637 seats vacant.
“Before enrolling in an engineering course, students should consider the college infrastructure, placement activities and skill development programs before choosing the course. I joined an Artificial Intelligence (AI) engineering program in a reputed college,” said Monica from Bengaluru, echoing the views of many students. Those graduating from this stream often get jobs with salaries ranging from ₹13 lakh to ₹48 lakh.
Meanwhile, the attractiveness of civil and mechanical engineering courses is decreasing mainly due to limited job opportunities and lack of skill development programmes. Of the 5,723 civil engineering seats, only 2,883 have been filled, while 2,840 seats have not been allotted. Similarly, in Mechanical Engineering, out of 5,977 seats, only 2,783 have been filled, while 3,194 are still vacant. Out of 11,361 seats in Electronics Engineering, 9,841 seats have been filled, while 1,520 seats are vacant.
Will the dice turn?
“Civil, mechanical, electrical and other branches are fundamental engineering courses. The world cannot function without these technologies. There may be a shortage of jobs in these sectors at present, but globally, more jobs are being created,” Mr Sudhakar said.
For example, PES University in Bengaluru has launched a Center of Excellence in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Bajaj. If educational institutions do not take such steps, it will be difficult to maintain civil, mechanical and similar courses in the long run,” he said, stressing on the need to revive these sectors.
published – October 18, 2024 06:14 am IST
