At its peak, in 2014-15, engineering education had nearly 32 lakh seats throughout all AICTE-approved organizations. Other than for last year, which is when Covid-induced disruption was very first seen, at least 50 engineering institutes have closed every year since 2015-16. The technical education regulators approval for setting up new engineering institutes is at a five-year low. Chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe informed The Indian Express that these approvals are for establishing engineering colleges in backwards districts, requests that were already in the pipeline, and in the case of state federal governments wanting to start a new institute.

With a steady stream of engineering colleges applying for closure because 2015-16 and a considerable decrease in capability across others, the overall variety of seats in engineering institutes in India has hit the most affordable in a years.

ExplainedLack of need fuels dip
At their peak, in 2014-15, AICTE-approved organizations had practically 32 lakh engineering seats. Ever since, absence of demand has actually required around 400 engineering schools shut. Still, they represent 80% of seats in the technical area (consisting of architecture, management, and so on).

The technical education regulators approval for establishing new engineering institutes is at a five-year low. In 2019, AICTE revealed a two-year moratorium on new organizations starting 2020-21. This was done on the recommendation of a government committee headed by IIT-Hyderabad chairman BVR Mohan Reddy.

Despite the substantial drop, engineering still accounts for 80 per cent of the total seats in the technical education area (also comprised of architecture, management, hotel management and pharmacy, to name a few) in the country.

A couple of weeks later, AICTE announced its choice to decrease intake in courses with bad admissions by half, beginning academic year 2018-19. In 2019, it revealed a two-year moratorium on new institutes.

For the scholastic year 2021-22, AICTE has approved 54 new institutes. Chairman Anil Sahasrabudhe informed The Indian Express that these approvals are for developing engineering colleges in backwards districts, demands that were already in the pipeline, and when it comes to state federal governments wanting to start a new institute. In the three years prior to the moratorium started, the regulator has authorized 143, 158, and 153 new institutes in 2017-18, 2018-19, and 2019-20, respectively.

The most recent data from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) reveal that engineering seats at the undergraduate, postgraduate and diploma levels have decreased to 23.28 lakh– the least expensive in at least 10 years. The decrease in seats this year, on account of institute closure and decreased admission capability, is pegged at 1.46 lakh.

At its peak, in 2014-15, engineering education had almost 32 lakh seats throughout all AICTE-approved institutions. The drop is being credited to the debt consolidation that started seven years back, with reduced need forcing colleges to close down. Since then, approximately 400 engineering schools have ended up operations. Other than for last year, which is when Covid-induced interruption was first experienced, a minimum of 50 engineering institutes have closed every year considering that 2015-16. This year, 63 have got AICTEs nod for closure.

In December 2017, The Indian Express had released the findings of its three-month-long examination, Devalued Degree, which found there were no takers for 51 percent of 15.5 lakh undergraduate seats in 3,291 engineering colleges in 2016-17.

The investigation discovered glaring gaps in guideline, including declared corruption; a vicious circle of poor facilities, labs and professors; non-existent linkages with market; and the lack of a technical community to nurture the class. All this, it found, accounted for low employability of graduates.