Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Damodar Acharya on the state of technical education


Damodar Acharya, Chairman (since May 2005), All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), talks touch in his convocation address (another version) at the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra, Ranchi.

Substandard engineering colleges “cheating” students with poor infrastructure will be closed down soon ...

“Quality, not quantity, is the need…. We, at the All India Council of Technical Education, will replace regular (routine) inspection of institutes with surprise ones, so that colleges sleeping over students’ careers and cheating them are shut down. [...]

He made another stunning claim — that of the country’s 3 lakh technical degree holders, only 30 per cent were good enough to be given jobs. ...

The institutes must, from now on, disclose their infrastructure, faculty composition and laboratory facilities so that students can make an “informed” choice.

About time, wouldn't you say?

Why stop with just "infrastructure, faculty composition and laboratory facilities", Prof. Acharya? Don't you think students would like to know detailed statistics about how well the institution's students did in their university exams? How about placement record? How about faculty qualifications? How about the detailed break-up of fees (including the cost of transportation, library, and lunch)? How about information about where to complain if there are violations -- such as when the principal asks for bribes or (... gulp ...) capitation fees?

How about listing the kinds of penalties that would befall an institution that fails to live up to the 'high' standards demanded by AICTE? How about imposing these regulations on all colleges, irrespective of who owns them? How about empowering students and their parents by demanding that all this information should be available unconditionally, on the institution's website?

What other information would a student be interested in knowing about an institute before making an "informed" choice?

3 Comments:

  1. Anonymous said...

    We definitely need to see how much of 100% placements include the category 'not opted for placement.' It is behind this the institutes hide their actual placement records.

    When the end of the year comes and students are not placed in many places they are forced to sign a form saying they are not interested in placements! If they do not do it, they are threatened with 'not even getting their degrees.'

  2. Abi said...

    Mridula: You are absolutely right about fake information being peddled by colleges. On the other hand, there are other pieces of information that are quite objective (fee structure, for example), and cannot be faked.

  3. peterparker - Servant of BHAGWAN PARASHURAMA said...

    well true..n moreover the placements are generated by the students themselves..leave iit's,bits,iims n iiit's n nits apart..n some good col..all other college placements are managed by students..yet college shows them that they have bring the companies there..actually there is a flaw in the system..n moreover..we are made to sign a bond as well..whether or not we like the work or not..but still due to parental n social pressure..we have to continue with that only