Ahmedabad: As we mark Engineer’s Day 2024, celebrated on September 15 to honour the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, one...
Ahmedabad: As we mark Engineer’s Day 2024, celebrated on September 15 to honour the birth anniversary of Sir Mokshagundam Visvesvaraya, one of India’s greatest engineers, it’s important to reflect on the current state of engineering education, particularly in Gujarat.
Sir Visvesvaraya, known for his pioneering work in
irrigation, flood control, and water resource management, symbolises engineers' profound impact on society.
However, the future of this critical profession
faces serious challenges.
In Gujarat, more than 44 per cent of engineering
seats, including those in self-financed institutes, were left vacant in 2023.
According to data presented in the Gujarat
Assembly, this accounted for more than 62,000 unfilled seats across the state.
Of the total 1,40,852 seats available in
government, grant-in-aid, and self-financed colleges, 62,311 seats remained
vacant.
In March 2024, State Higher and Technical Education
Minister Rushikesh Patel in the Gujarat Assembly said, “Gujarat has a total of
1,40,852 seats in engineering degree and diploma courses across government-run,
grant-in-aid, and self-financed colleges. Of these, 71,629 seats are for degree
engineering courses, and 69,223 are for diploma courses. Last year, 78,540
seats, or 55.76 per cent, were filled, leaving 62,311 seats, or 44.23 per cent,
vacant. Specifically, 38,811 degree engineering seats and 23,501 diploma
engineering seats remained unfilled in 2023.”
This problem is not isolated to Gujarat. Across India, engineering courses are facing a steep decline in enrollments.
The 2023 All India Survey on Higher Education
(AISHE) revealed a 10 per cent drop in enrollments in engineering programmes
between 2016-17 and 2020-21.
In Maharashtra, for example, nearly one in three
engineering seats remained vacant this year, with vacancy rates as high as 42
per cent in some regions.
These trends indicate a national issue that extends
beyond state boundaries and points to deeper challenges in engineering
education.
Several factors contribute to the high vacancy
rates in engineering programmes. First, many students are opting for top-tier
institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and National
Institutes of Technology (NITs), leaving state-level and self-financed colleges
struggling to fill their seats.
In Gujarat, a significant number of students also
prefer pursuing higher education abroad or in other states, where they perceive
better opportunities for career advancement.
Second, there is a noticeable shift in student
interest towards new-age technology fields.
Branches like artificial intelligence (AI), machine
learning (ML), data science, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are in high
demand, while traditional engineering fields such as mechanical, civil, and
electrical engineering are seeing a sharp decline in enrollment.
In Maharashtra, out of 25,065 seats available for
computer science and allied new-age technology courses, only 5,521 remained
vacant, a stark contrast to the 8,078 vacant seats in mechanical engineering
and 6,272 in civil engineering.
The issue is further complicated by the structure
of diploma courses in Gujarat.
With the eligibility for admission set at passing
Class 10, many students opt to continue with higher secondary education or
choose alternative career paths, such as nursing or pursuing IIT entrance
exams, rather than enrolling in diploma engineering programmes. This has led to
a higher number of vacant seats in diploma courses as well, where 23,501 seats
remained unfilled in 2023.
Gujarat’s vacancy crisis mirrors the national
trend, where a steady decline in traditional engineering enrollments has been
observed over the past decade.
Despite a modest increase in overall intake
capacity, student interest has continued to drop.
In Maharashtra, for instance, while the total
intake capacity increased by 3.6 per cent from 2022-23 to 2023-24, the number
of students enrolling in engineering courses declined by four per cent,
resulting in higher vacancy rates this year.
This shift in interest from conventional
engineering to emerging fields like AI and data science is reshaping the
engineering education landscape.
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