Straight Talk: Good riddance to junk engineering colleges?

Straight Talk: Good riddance to junk engineering colleges?
By Pushkar

Many of India’s private engineering colleges are in a jam. Over the past few years, several of them, especially in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, are reportedly unable to attract sufficient number of students to break even. As a result, their owners want to reduce the student intake; others want to close them down or even sell the institution; and still others want to convert engineering colleges into arts and science colleges.

The crisis is not limited to southern states. Careers360 reported that 245 of the 306 engineering colleges in UP were able to admit less than 20 per cent of their total quota of students. As many as 58 had no takers at all! Several colleges in Maharashtra are experiencing a similar student shortage.

What’s going on? Why are so many engineering colleges finding it difficult to attract students?

Fingers have been pointed at the current economic situation and the slackening demand for engineering graduates. Others have suggested that there has been a decline in interest in engineering itself. It has also been speculated that the country now has more engineering colleges than is needed.

The real answer is quite elementary.

It is ‘junk’ colleges— institutions which offer poor quality teaching and nearly-zero placement—that are finding no takers. These are places which offer a worthless piece of paper called a ‘degree’ at the end of four years. Good riddance, really!

Private colleges mushroomed during India’s high growth years. Many have flourished simply because of the shortage of sufficient numbers of government colleges in ‘professional’ disciplines such as engineering, management and medicine. These institutions benefited from the myth than a professional degree assures students of a successful career. Of course, they also boasted of 100 per cent placement. Liars!

These shady colleges are now being found out. Students (and their parents) have discovered that a large number of ‘professional’ colleges are a racket. Young women and men are taking the right decision in rejecting large and small buildings and campuses pretending to be engineering colleges.

Unfortunately, however, scores of junk engineering colleges continue to operate as legitimate institutions, disappointing their students in terms of the quality of education and job prospects. All that they really do is raise unrealistic career expectations and create a growing army of degreed and unemployable young people.

Pushkar is a contributor on India’s higher education for Asian Scientist (Singapore). He previously taught at Goa University, McGill University, Concordia University, and the University of Ottawa. He is currently with the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, BITS Pilani-Goa. You can follow him on twitter at: @PushHigherEd