300 Engineering Colleges Shutting Down: A Good News?

Earlier this month, the All India Council for Technical Education(AICTE) made the decision to shut down 300 private engineering colleges all over India due to less than 30% seat enrollment for five consecutive years. It is quite possible that many of these colleges may be converted to science colleges or vocational education institutes. The decision will be finalized by AICTE by December end and the colleges would be expected to stop admission processes from the 2018-19 session.

There are around 3,000 private engineering colleges in India, but more than 90% of them fail to provide any quality education. They function more like factories producing unemployable engineers each year. Providing the students with practical knowledge and development of skills are given no importance. This is the reason why I feel that this decision could have a positive outcome overall.

The Positive Side

As an engineering student myself, frustrated with the education system and its impracticality, I figured out some positive aspects of the scenario. To mention, here are a few:

1. Time to get over the obsession:

• The low seat enrollment percentage in these colleges is a reflection of the country's mood as a whole. The dynamics are changing and India's obsession with engineering is slowly getting over. 
• The students are slowly realizing and recognizing the plethora of career options available apart from the conventional Engineering and Medicine for science stream students, Chartered Accountancy for commerce stream students and Bachelor of Arts for arts stream students, and pursuing things they are passionate about.   
• Each year more than 1.5 million engineers graduate but fewer are getting jobs. 'Why' you may ask? Here's the answer: Why More Than 90% Of India's Engineers Are Unemployable? Some of the reasons are lack of quality and practical education, no focus on the development of skills and personality, and the rote method used for learning. 
• This decision might help reduce a large number of future engineers who would quite possibly end up unemployed.

An empty classroom

2. Ending poor quality education:

• The poor quality of education provided by most of these institutes and the policy of giving admission to any student without testing their suitability and capability for the course for the sake of making more money may come to an end.   
• The decision might encourage the remaining colleges to provide good facilities to the students and a better quality of education to prevent their college from meeting the same fate.  

3. A lesser number of namesake colleges in future:

• Most of the private engineering colleges in India are established as an investment with the motive of making money. They don't really care about the standard of education nor the future of kids enrolled in these colleges with great dreams and aspirations.
• These colleges charge heavy fees and provide very fewer facilities. They are concerned only about mindlessly handing out degrees to the students and have no consent regarding those student's employment after graduating.
• The profit-hungry mentality of these educational institutes should come to an end and this decision might just end up serving that purpose.  

Give me money and I'll hand you a piece of paper

4. Exploring new opportunities:

• This news might help the students to reconsider their decision of getting admitted into an engineering college and encourage them to explore new opportunities and career options which match their interests and thus help in widening their horizon.
• The future does not need humans capable of mugging up textbooks and writing the same in a test but well informed, conscious, practical thinkers and this decision may lead to a better education system in the future.  

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