Initiatives to minimise vacant seats in govt engineering colleges

CHENNAI: As a large number of engineering seats remain vacant every year, the State government has initiated several measures to enhance career guidance programmes for high school students.

It was noticed this year that most students in government schools, who secured average marks in the Class 12 exams, believe that admissions to engineering will be difficult.

As per the sources from the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE), which conducts engineering admissions, this year over 60,000 engineering seats were left vacant in various colleges.

A senior official from the Higher Education Department said that many students from economically poor backgrounds and in rural areas, also believe that the fee will be high in engineering colleges. “That’s why many ended up taking arts and science courses,” he added.

Stating that career guidance is one of the most important inputs for students that helps them choose appropriate streams in Class 11, the official said, “Since most students in government and government-aided schools hail from modest backgrounds, they don’t get the required support to make career choices or have access to available resources.”

The State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), a wing of the department, has constituted a team of experts and teachers for developing career guidance materials for students from classes 9 to 12. “The panel had detailed deliberations on the variety of career choices especially in the engineering stream. The module incorporates concepts like assessing the interests and aptitude of students,” he averred.

A series of awareness programmes will also be organised about the prospects of engineering courses, the fee structure in government and government-aided engineering colleges and various scholarships they’re eligible for.

“We’ll also teach them avail 7.5% government school quota,” he said. “These measures ensure that all engineering seats are filled at least in the next two years.”

As per the sources from the Directorate of Technical Education (DOTE), this year over 60,000 engineering seats were left vacant