Tech courses: Fewer seats for direct admission to second yr
LATERAL ENTRY To reduce vacancies, AICTE cuts excess seat quota for 2019-20 by half
MUMBAI: Getting direct admission to the second year of technical courses is set to get tougher in 2019-20, as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has cut the intake capacity for lateral admissions to half, in a bid to reduce the vacancies.
Lateral entry allows engineering and pharmacy diploma holders and those with BSC (Information Technology) and Bachelor of Computer Administration (BCA) degrees to be admitted directly to the second year of a technical course. Those who have passed Class 12 examination or completed a vocational course from an Industrial Training Institute (ITI), too, can be admitted to the second year of diploma courses. These students are accommodated in the supernumerary (excess) quota created for them or given seats left vacant during the first-year admissions.
So far, technical colleges could laterally admit up to 20% more students than the number of seats allotted to it, and move them to the supernumerary quota.
Maharashtra’s lateral admissions in 2018-19 stood at 52,826 for engineering degree and 35,669 for diploma courses. According to AICTE’S
approval process handbook for the upcoming academic year, the number of supernumerary seats in an institute will now be capped to 10% of the actual intake. “Usually, around 50% of the seats in the first year of engineering colleges remain vacant across the country. Diploma students seek lateral entry to these seats, so there is no need for additional seats,” said Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE.
Reducing the supernumerary the second year of a technical course These students are accommodated in the supernumerary (excess) quota created for them or given seats left vacant during the first-year admissions
seats, instead of doing away with the excess seats altogether is the regulator’s way to balance the aspirations of students and colleges, said experts.
“Many colleges with large vacancies have been requesting us to do away with the supernumerary seats, to get some students who otherwise look to get absorbed in popular colleges. Excess seats also affect the quality of education. Reducing the intake will ensure bright diploma holders get accommodated in good institutes,” said Sahasrabudhe.
Gopakumaran Thampi, principal, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Bandra, said, “With fewer seats available in degree programmes, diploma holders will be forced to seek employment, instead of pursuing higher education, while others may look to get enrolled in the first year of the course. AICTE should have retained 20% excess seats as it was not affecting the quality.”