5,500 B Tech seats vacant as students opt for other streams

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, September 25

Despite the Himachal government decision “not to fill” engineering seats only on the basis of merit of JEE Main examination and hold its own test and further allowing admissions on the basis of 10+2 examination merit, over 5,500 seats remained vacant during 2016-17.

The decision of the government to start Himachal Pradesh Combined Entrance Test (HPCET) to fill 50 per cent seats in 37 engineering colleges in the state, including four government colleges, burdened the aspirants by an additional entrance test besides the JEE main test which cost time and additional expenditure.

As the government was aware that there were no takers for engineering courses, it decided to allow the engineering colleges to admit students on the 10+2 merit as well to fill the remaining seats, making mockery of entrance aimed at maintaining uniform standards of engineering courses across the country.

The performance of the students was so poor that even in the government engineering colleges, 50 per cent seats could not be filled through JEE main examination and were shifted to state quota.

Out of 5,630 engineering seats in 17 colleges run by private universities only 2,515 seats could be filled through direct admission in the first semester while 462 seats were filled by lateral entry (entry of diploma holders in third semester) and 31 by migration. The situation was similar during 2015 when only 2,444 out of 5,960 seats were filled.

Similarly, out of 3,930 seats in 20 engineering colleges, only 1,463 seats were filled while 406 seats were filled through lateral entry, which worked out at 37 per cent.

Himachal Pradesh Technical University (HPTU) has reduced the B.Tech seats in engineering colleges. Even after slashing over 2000 seats, the situation regarding vacant seats has not improved.

Dean (Academics) HPTU, N N Sharma said that drifting of students from engineering courses to other streams was a nationwide phenomenon. Pharmacy was an exception where about 92 per cent seats were filled as there is a huge scope of entrepreneurship in pharmacy sector, he added.

There are no takers for the seats as job prospects are very bleak and pursuing four years engineering courses with high fee structure of private institution is not affordable and as such students were drifting to other courses, he said.

While the fee for B.Tech in government engineering college was Rs 30,000 per annum payable in two installments, the fee of private colleges ranged between Rs 45,000 and Rs 57,000 per annum, which implied that the fee for total course ranged between Rs 1.80 lakh and 2.80 lakh besides hostel and mess charges and other expenses.