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Three years after it was first introduced, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) lifted its ban on new engineering colleges. The Council has also scrapped the minimum land requirement criterion for starting a new college or running an existing one, according to the new approval handbook released on Thursday.
In January 2019, in an unprecedented move the technical education regulator had decided to not approve new engineering colleges from the academic year 2020-21 and review the creation of new capacity every two years. However, there were a few exceptions to the ban. Existing engineering institutes were allowed to start new programmes in new technologies or convert current capacity in traditional engineering branches to emerging new technology areas such as artificial intelligence , blockchain, robotics, quantum computing, data sciences, cyber security and 3D printing.
This ban was introduced keeping in mind the low enrolments in engineering and diploma programmes across the country. In December 2017, an investigation by The Indian Express found there were no takers for 51 per cent of the 15.5 lakh BE/BTech seats in 3,291 engineering colleges in 2016-17. The investigation found glaring gaps in regulation, including alleged corruption; a vicious circle of poor infrastructure, labs and faculty; non-existent linkages with industry; and the absence of a technical ecosystem to nurture the classroom. All this, it found, accounted for low employability of graduates.
In December 2021, a committee headed by IIT-Hyderabad chairman B V R Mohan Reddy reviewed the decision and recommended that the freeze on new engineering institutes should continue. This year, however, a three-member committee headed by the director of IIT Bhubaneswar was tasked to review the decision again. “A three-member committee headed by the director of IIT Bhubaneswar was tasked to review the ban on new engineering colleges. This committee looked at enrollment data of 2022-23 and found that the admissions figures in core engineering branches have increased and are encouraging. It suggested that we lift the moratorium and this was accepted by AICTE,” an officer told The Indian Express on the condition of anonymity. Enrollment in engineering and technology programmes increased marginally from 23.68 lakh in 2021-22 to 23.74 lakh in 2022-23.
However, there are a few caveats. “Moratorium for establishing New Institution in Engineering and Technology has been lifted from Academic Year 2023-24. However, for establishing a new institution in Engineering and Technology, preference shall be given to the applicant offering courses in multi-disciplinary areas in-line with NEP (National Education Policy) 2020 in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas,” the AICTE handbook states.
Another condition for setting up a new institute is that in the case of engineering and technology, an institute can start programmes in three core branches (such as mechanical, civil, electrical) provided they have minor courses in emerging areas such as 5G, Sustainable Development & Circular Economy, Waste Management, Product Design, CRISPR Cas – 9, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Embedded SW, Internet SW, Mobility, Analytics, Cloud Computing.
Additionally, institutes no longer have to follow the minimum land area requirement and focus on built-up area instead. This was first introduced for institutes in urban areas but it has now been extended to technical institutes across the country keeping in mind the paucity of land.
