Engg colleges in state to double this year

Engg colleges in state to double this year


JAIPUR: The number of technocrats in the state is all set to swell by another 11,100 in the near future as the department of technical education (DTE) has recommended 83 more technical institutes to be opened in the state. The recommendation has been sent to the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) for approval.

The proposal is to start 34 engineering colleges, 41 MBA colleges and 8 MCA colleges in the academic year 2010-11. The move will take the number of engineering, MBA and MCA colleges to 130, 169 and 42 respectively in the state.
Most of these institutes, 15 engineering colleges to be precise, will come up in the vicinity of Jaipur, followed by four in Jodhpur and three in Kota, doubling the numbers in the respective places. Apart from the big cities, places like Bundi and Sikar too are likely to get a pie.

“Though we have proposed a number of institutes, we are still behind other states who churn out technocrats almost three times of what we do,” said an official of DTE. “We will add only 8,160 engineers to the existing 32,187, which is not a high number,” said Vipin Chandra Sharma, principal secretary, technical education.

Interestingly, almost all the institutes will be of private players, with the government participation being limited to an engineering and an MBA college each. “There is a scope of adding another 8,000 engineering students to the tally, as some existing institutes too have sought permission for extension,” said Sharma, though that hasn’t been forwarded yet.

If the number of private colleges is on the rise, it is due to the transparent system the government adopts for establishing educational institutes, said an official. Are there proper checks to ensure that the standard of education being imparted is good? “We do conduct surprise visits at these institutes and there is also a proper system of audits in place wherein we closely monitor the system at these institutes,” said Sharma.

The department is keen on developing the infrastructure and raising the standard of state-run engineering colleges in order to make a brand out of them. The state and Central governments are providing Rs 60 crore grant for the same. “In the recently held meeting of Planning Commission, we raised the demand for funds and in turn got an allotment of Rs 5 crore extra for a period of three years, whereas the Centre has agreed to triple the same amount and fund us through the World Bank project, which will bring an additional 45 crore,” said Sharma.

Of the existing 11 state-owned colleges, half of them is in need of a facelift. “This money will speed up the process,” said Sharma.

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