Why Are Engineering Seats in India Going Empty and What Does This Mean for the Future?

Dear friends,

Namaskar.

It is a fact that about 5 years ago, it was not easy to secure admissions into engineering colleges in India. Some private colleges were even demanding up to 5 lakh rupees as donations. Now, approximately 40% of seats across the country remain vacant. What is the reason for this? What will be its consequences in the coming years?

Regards,
Jogeshwar

Dear HR Friends,

In my view, private engineering college entry is very beneficial as it allows more people to obtain an engineering degree. India needs good teachers, who are always in high demand. If private colleges focus on recruiting and retaining good teachers, then the admission rates will likely improve.

Therefore, the reason for the empty seats during admission is often due to insufficient numbers of quality teachers.

Thanks,
Venkatesan L
Coimbatore
Mobile: 09363209839

We are expressing our opinions based on perceptions and no facts have been presented.

Some facts which need to be seen . . .

Number of Engineering Colleges

- 10 years ago

- 5 years ago

- TODAY

No. of colleges that have been certified by Authority

No. of colleges that have been awaiting certification by Authority

No. of colleges whose certification has been canceled by Authority

No. of Colleges having Very Good Infrastructure

No. of Colleges having 'decent' Infrastructure

No. of Colleges having minimum Infrastructure

No. of Colleges having 'NO' Infrastructure

The above set of facts will give us a clearer picture of the QUALITY of Engineering Colleges that are mushrooming today since engineering colleges have now become 'lucrative business areas' due to donation money and other reasons.

Also, the increase in the number of engineering colleges has been phenomenal in the last decade.

The empty seats do not point to any apathy towards engineering. The total number of engineers produced is (I guess) ever-increasing. Only the percentage occupancy of seats is decreasing.

Once we have the facts straight, the whole situation should be clearer.

... shoOOonya ...

If the colleges have good teachers, then the colleges will improve on their own. Many of them focus on building brick and mortar rather than investing in people.

Good teachers will make a mark everywhere.

Thanks,
Venkatesan L
Coimbatore
09363209839

Hi,

Ask an engineer how he chose his engineering college or built his preference list. He will tell you that it was entirely based on rankings and perceptions. The final admission was granted based on his marks. There is no way a student can know about the faculty from outside. Perhaps some students take the trouble to actually visit the college and find out from past experiences. During this visit, the infrastructure has a greater influence on their perceptions rather than student opinion. Due to limited time and effort, they would visit only the top colleges where rankings and perceptions come into play.

So, faculty may indeed be instrumental in defining the quality of engineers produced, but they hardly play a significant role in influencing the admission process.

"The empty seats do not point to any apathy towards engineering. The total number of engineers produced is (I guess) ever-increasing. Only the percentage occupancy of seats is decreasing.

Dear friends,

Namaskar.

Sho00onya and Venkatesan have perceived the issue at two different levels. Sho00onya believes that there is an increase in engineering colleges, and so although the number of engineering aspirants has gone up, the seats in the engineering colleges are remaining vacant. His argument sounds cogent, but can anyone give the actual figures of engineering aspirants in the preceding 5 years? Venkatesan, while accepting the position, has suggested a remedy. In fact, the low salary given by private colleges does not attract talented staff. This also sounds logical. But is it a factor to depress aspiration for an engineering degree? It needs to be pondered.

Regards,

Jogeshwar."

Shoonya has switched to another level. So, the question remains: has inadequate infrastructure depressed aspirations for an engineering degree? If this is true, why are seats remaining vacant even in A-grade colleges?

This question may be applicable against the conjecture of Venkatesan also.

Regards,
Jogeshwar.

I am very surprised to hear that seats are empty in A Grade colleges too. It seems an impossibility.

Doctor... could you please give us more details on this example... Which specific college/city/state/branch of engineering are you talking about.

Hi all,

I too want to put my views on this issue.

People who aspire to study engineering are mostly from the southern states. There are a lot of private colleges in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, as well as Karnataka.

I completed my +2 in 1999. At that time, there were a lot of vacant seats in Karnataka. Of course, Andhra Pradesh was then growing. In Tamil Nadu, they were calling people and offering seats to candidates personally. But this doesn't mean that people aspiring to study engineering did not come down. In fact, the new statistics show that every year the number of candidates appearing for engineering entrance exams is growing by a lakh only in Andhra Pradesh. Just think about the country.

Coming to seats not occupied in A-grade colleges, yes, there are colleges in both Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (no idea about the north) where the seats are not occupied in some traditional branches like civil and mechanical engineering. This may be because of the IT boom, the attractive packages, and the limited scope of career growth in those fields. Whether it's civil engineering, mechanical engineering, or computer science, everyone is mostly shifting their focus to computers (9 out of 10). This is the latest trend, and there are ample job opportunities available in this domain.

Regarding the infrastructure, students may find it challenging to visit the college because they cannot predict which college they will be admitted to, or they might not get admitted to the college of their choice. Private colleges take advantage of this situation and sometimes do not put in the effort to deliver quality education (it's a business for private colleges). While this may not apply to all colleges, most private colleges operate in a similar manner.

Thanks and Regards,

Sridhar

Hi all!

Many have presented their views on this, which I partially agree with. Adding to it with the little I know, as Shoonya pointed out, it's a decreasing percentage occupancy but increasing absolute number of engineering aspirants/graduates.

Though the quality of engineering churned out by many colleges is on par with some reputed institutes, they lose out. Think of it:

1. Every recruiter looks at the top 3-4 engineering colleges in the city/state. What happens to the remaining top-notch students in other colleges?

2. After struggling for 4 years and graduating with a B.Tech/B.E degree, you realize you don't have a clear edge as there are lakhs of engineering graduates. So, you wish to proceed for higher studies where the available seats are a few thousands (M.Tech, M.S, M.B.A, etc).

3. The advent of the services sector, which refuses engineers as CSE's, is a setback initially.

4. When you pursue higher studies, you realize you are treated equally to other graduates (you spend four years doing what others did in three years).

5. If previously ads said "engineers wanted," they now say "engineering pls do not apply."

So, these things do contribute to growing apathy towards engineering. But thinking of the future, India now has great prospects in engineering and design. If the youth realizes this and has the patience to work towards it, there's no saying they'll rule.

Cheers to all engineers!

Shweta Challa