800 engineering colleges to be closed in India over low quality, admissions

BENGALURU: The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) wants to close down about 800 engineering colleges across India as there are no takers for their seats, and admissions are plunging in these institutions every year, AICTE chairman Anil Dattatraya Sahasrabudhe told media.  There are approximately

150 colleges which are closed down voluntarily every year due to stricter AICTE rules. According to a rule of the council, colleges that lack proper infrastructure and report less than 30% admissions for five consecutive years will have to be shut down, he pointed out.

Sahasrabudhe was in Bengaluru on Friday to inaugurate the 'Green Hand' sculpture, signifying the pivotal role humankind plays in preserving and nurturing the environment, at New Horizon College of Engineering, Marthahalli.

According to its website, AICTE has approved the progressive closure of more than 410 colleges across India, from 2014-15 to 2017-18. Twenty of these institutions are in Karnataka. A maximum number of institutions was approved for closure in 2016-17. Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have the maximum number of colleges which have sought progressive closure. Failing to survive, private engineering colleges either seek progressive closure and ultimately shut down or turn into polytechnics or science and arts colleges.