Advantage private varsities

“It has been a period since the Common Entrance Test (CET-2025) counselling for admittance to engineering courses for 2025-26 concluded. But, of the 150 seats disposable successful the Computer Science Engineering (CSE) subdivision successful our college, 40 seats are inactive vacant. Even though the interest for these seats is the aforesaid arsenic the authorities quota seat, nary pupil is coming forward,” lamented the caput of a backstage engineering assemblage successful a tier-3 metropolis successful the Kalyana Karnataka region.

The main of a authorities engineering assemblage successful a territory neighbouring Bengaluru said, “Even though the authorities has reduced fees for civil, mechanical and different accepted engineering courses this time, the seats are inactive vacant.”

In contrast, thousands of engineering seats person been filled successful backstage universities successful astir of the tier-1 and tier-2 cities of Karnataka, and these institutions person besides taken steps to capable further seats. This has fixed emergence to allegations that “discriminatory policies” being applied by the State authorities to backstage universities and government, aided and backstage engineering colleges are the crushed for the immense spread successful the filling of engineering seats.

Sources allege that the authorities is allowing backstage universities to commencement caller courses and heighten the fig of seats successful existing courses without immoderate obstacles and they person besides been fixed relaxation from obtaining All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) permission. AICTE support is mandatory for government, aided and backstage engineering colleges to commencement caller courses and enhancement of seats.

As a result, backstage universities person taken steps to capable their seats rapidly without waiting for the government’s support each year, resulting successful astir students enrolling successful backstage universities. Meanwhile, government, aided and backstage engineering colleges are lagging down portion complying with AICTE norms.

While a full of 95,366 engineering seats are disposable successful 150 backstage engineering colleges successful the State, 27 backstage universities relationship for different 33,300 engineering seats. On the 1 hand, determination is mushrooming of engineering colleges successful tier-1 cities similar Bengaluru, Mysuru and others. On the different hand, colleges successful tier-2 and tier-3 cities are facing the menace of closure without students.

Seat matrix

There are a full of 229 engineering colleges successful the State for 2025-26, of which 27 are authorities and constituent colleges of Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), 9 are aided engineering colleges, 16 are backstage number colleges, 150 are backstage engineering colleges, 2 are deemed universities and 27 are backstage universities.

A full of 1,53,916 engineering seats are disposable successful these colleges, of which 72,506 seats are filled done the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA). The remaining 32,231 are COMED-K seats and 49,179 are absorption quota seats.

Of these, each the seats successful authorities engineering colleges are authorities quota seats and are filled done the CET by the KEA. In backstage and aided colleges, 45% of the authorities quota seats are filled done KEA, 30% seats done COMED-K and the remaining 25% are absorption quota seats.

Private universities person fixed 40% of the seats to the authorities and the remaining 60% are filled done entranceway exams conducted by the universities oregon different cardinal institutions specified arsenic the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).

With the AICTE being the apex assemblage of each method courses successful India, it is mandatory for government, aided and backstage engineering colleges to get support from AICTE to commencement caller branches and summation seats.

According to the AICTE norms, the student-teacher ratio should beryllium 1:20 successful each method institutions and for 60 students, determination should beryllium 1 professor, 3 subordinate professors and 8 adjunct professors (1:3:8 ratio).

In this, the prof and subordinate prof should person done Ph.D., successful their taxable concerned. And, the adjunct professors should person passed BE oregon M.Tech with archetypal class.

The infrastructure related to the building, toilets, library, laboratory and different facilities indispensable beryllium mandatory. And, for example, determination should beryllium 1 machine for each 10 students (1:10) successful the CSE lab.

While each government, aided and backstage engineering colleges are to adhere to these rules, backstage universities having astir 20 acres of land, indispensable infrastructure and teaching and non-teaching unit tin beryllium tally by getting support from University Grants Commission (UGC). The State authorities has exempted these universities from getting support from AICTE to commencement caller colleges, courses and enhancement of seats. The universities person been allowed to run aft getting support from UGC and a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the authorities of Karnataka.

Decisions connected each issues, including infrastructure, starting caller courses, introspection system, interest fixation, summation successful seats and others are taken successful the Board of Governors (BoG) meetings. They are past submitted to the Karnataka State Higher Education Council (KSHEC), which appoints an adept committee, examines the assemblage concerned, and issues an NOC.

Impact connected different institutions

Because of the exemption fixed to them, these universities person enhanced seats successful ample numbers, particularly successful the CSE branch.

For example, successful 1 backstage assemblage successful Bengaluru, determination are a full of 4,320 engineering seats disposable successful six branches for the archetypal twelvemonth engineering courses, of which 4,020 are for CSE and related courses alone. In another, of the 3,420 engineering seats available, 2,400 seats are related to CSE. Of the full 2,640 seats disposable successful 11 branches successful yet different assemblage successful the city, 1,620 seats are for CSE engineering. Of the full 3,600 seats disposable successful a backstage assemblage assemblage successful southbound Bengaluru, 2,340 seats are for CSE.

In crisp contrast, the fig of CSE seats disposable successful 17 authorities engineering colleges crossed the State is nary much than 640.

The exemption for AICTE norms for backstage universities has riled many.

“Even if we admit 1 further spot successful our colleges, VTU and the Department of Technical Education (DTE) bash not springiness approval. All government, absorption and COMED-K seats enrolment volition beryllium scrutinised. However, the authorities is not scrutinising 60% of the seats successful backstage universities. There is simply a argumentation successful authorities grade colleges that nary pupil should beryllium sent backmost without admission. The aforesaid is being followed successful backstage universities. They admit immoderate pupil who comes. Due to this, admissions successful each different engineering colleges are being hit,” alleged the main of a authorities engineering college.

Prof. Sangappa B.S., National Executive Council Member of the Indian Society for Technical Education (ISTE), New Delhi, said, “Out of 27 backstage universities successful Karnataka, lone 3 person taken AICTE approval. If they conscionable amusement fancy buildings and summation seats abnormally, the prime of acquisition volition beryllium hit. Enhancement of 3,000 to 5,000 seats volition termination the tone of method education.” helium argued.

“Due to the non-availability of qualified faculty, not each backstage universities person teachers who conscionable UGC and AICTE standards. In addition, backstage universities bash not travel the teacher-student ratio. For example, colleges with astir 2,500 CSE seats necessitate a full of 125 radical to thatch CSE subject. However, nary assemblage has recruited truthful galore teachers. Our organisation has fixed a practice to the Union Education Ministry and UGC to modulate backstage universities,” helium said.

How ample intake impacts prime of education

According to the main of a starring backstage engineering college, “The prime of acquisition successful colleges with a ample intake cannot beryllium up to the mark. The disposable laboratories and computers volition not beryllium capable for each the students. In addition, it volition not beryllium imaginable to supply capable accomplishment to specified a ample fig of students. Ultimately, field placement volition besides beryllium affected and it volition summation unemployment.”

He said that engineering colleges nether VTU person a abstracted program approved by AICTE. “Will candidates who person studied the program of backstage universities without AICTE support get designation successful overseas companies?”

On the different hand, the main of a apical engineering assemblage successful Bengaluru sought to marque retired a lawsuit for summation successful the fig of seats is indispensable to conscionable the Union Government’s purpose of expanding the Gross Enrolment Ratio to 50% successful the adjacent 10 years.

“Recently, AICTE has made galore changes successful its rules and is allowing authorities and backstage engineering colleges to summation seats by 500 to 600. As determination are much bundle companies successful Bengaluru, the occupation prediction is besides high. Therefore, each backstage colleges and backstage universities person taken steps to summation CSE seats. Placement is besides expanding successful Information Technology (IT) sector. To flooded shortage of faculty, the AICTE has allowed the recruitment of professors of signifier (industry professionals). Colleges tin enlistee up to 20% professors of practice,” helium explained.

Action to regulate

The authorities of Karnataka is considering enacting a instrumentality connected the exemplary of Telangana to curb the mushrooming of engineering colleges successful tier-1 cities, summation of seats successful branches similar CSE and to modulate backstage universities.

In caller years, 12 Higher Educational Institutions submitted a connection to the authorities of Karnataka for mounting up backstage universities. Of these, 8 were granted support during the erstwhile BJP government, but the State authorities has not issued an authoritative bid yet. As the State authorities has decided to alteration the rules for granting support to backstage universities, each these applications person been enactment connected clasp for now.

Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar told The Hindu, “There is simply a request to frost the enhancement of CSE seats to forestall the mushrooming of backstage engineering colleges successful tier-1 cities and modulate backstage universities. We are readying to bring rules connected the Telangana model.”

“Last year, the Telangana authorities imposed restrictions connected the enhancement of CSE seats successful backstage engineering colleges. This was challenged by immoderate backstage engineering assemblage managements successful the High Court there. It is learnt that the court, which upheld the Telangana government’s action, has dismissed the petition of the backstage engineering colleges,” helium said.