Shadow over continuation of Kannada medium engineering courses as they fail to attract students for the fourth year in a row

Non-enrolment and deficiency of authorities enactment has formed a shadiness connected the Kannada-medium engineering courses, started nether National Education Policy (NEP-2020) 4 years ago.

In the erstwhile years, during the Common Entrance Test (CET) counselling, Kannada mean engineering courses were opted by a fewer students, adjacent though they withdrew either portion enrolling successful the assemblage oregon later. However, this year, nary pupil has adjacent fixed enactment introduction to Kannada engineering courses during CET-2025 counselling.

This has led to doubts implicit whether Kannada engineering courses volition continue, and Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) is mulling withdrawing the course.

Speaking to The Hindu, S. Vidyashankar, Vice-Chancellor of VTU, said, “Even aft 4 years of inception, nary pupil has enrolled successful this course. Some radical who had enrolled successful the erstwhile years person withdrawn. Curriculum has besides been framed successful Kannada medium. A determination volition beryllium taken aft discussing with the authorities whether to proceed the people oregon not.”

Translated curriculum

As per the recommendations of the NEP-2020, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) decided to connection engineering acquisition successful determination languages and gave the proviso for Civil and Mechanical engineering courses. VTU had translated each the people materials of Civil and Mechanical engineering courses from English to Kannada.

During the world twelvemonth of 2021-22, SJC Institute of Technology Chickballapur, Bheemanna Khandre Institute of Technology (BKIT), Bhalki, and 3 different backstage engineering colleges opted to connection Kannada mean engineering courses. Seventeen students opted for them.

But, each these students withdrew by the clip of admittance and joined regular engineering courses.

In the world twelvemonth of 2022-23, lone SJCIT and BKIT expressed involvement to connection the course. Among the 42 seats successful Kannada mean Civil engineering, lone 1 pupil had opted for the course. But, finally, helium excessively withdrew his admittance and joined the regular engineering course.

Of the full 24 Kannada mean mechanical engineering seats, nary students showed involvement successful them.

During the CET 2024-25 counselling, 2 students opted for the Kannada-medium mechanical engineering people astatine MIT successful Mysuru. While 1 withdrew from the people earlier joining the college, the different pupil took admittance successful the assemblage and aboriginal withdrew and joined the English mean engineering course.

Need authorities support

Earlier, to promote much radical to opt for it, the past Vice-Chancellor of VTU Karisiddappa had submitted a connection to the State authorities urging it to make jobs and preservation successful the authorities engineering recruitment successful assorted departments similar PWD, Irrigation, KPTCL, BESCOM, BDA, BBMP and different section bodies for Kannada mean engineering graduates. But the connection received nary response.

“Unless occupation opportunities are created, determination volition beryllium nary scope for Kannada mean engineering courses. There is nary people worldly for higher acquisition oregon probe successful Kannada mean engineering and students would beryllium connected English people materials by default. Therefore, the authorities should instrumentality steps to pull students to these courses by providing occupation guarantees. Otherwise, determination is nary mode different than closing the courses,” said the main of a authorities engineering college.