The semester-long training program will be mandatory for recruiting faculty members in technical institutions.
AICTE
AICTE Gives Credits For New Tech Courses
Source: Economic Times
Modi’s new course will help engineering graduates make a cut in the job market.
No New Engineering Colleges in Maharashtra
Source: Times of India
After facing criticism from the All India Council for Technical Education for not submitting its perspective plan, changes abound.
Union Cabinet Approves Creation of National Testing Agency
Source: Times of India
Establishment of NTA will benefit about 40 lakh students appearing in various entrance examinations.
No Plans to Replace UGC, AICTE With Single Regulator
Source: Mint
The government is not considering any merger of the UGC and the AICTE into a single higher education regulator at present.
India Moots Higher Education Regulation Streamline With HEERA
Source: The PIE
India’s government plans to merge the University Grants Commission and the All India Council for Technical Education into one national regulator, HEERA.
Modi’s Next Bing-Bang Reform Will Make UGC History
Source: The Economic Times
The Modi government is set to replace the UGC and AICTE with a single higher education regulator.
Colleges Flouting Student-Faculty Ratio To Face Action
Source: Hindustan Times
Engineering colleges not maintaining the prescribed student-faculty ratio will be liable for action, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has said.
The complete story can be read on the Hindustan Times website.
AICTE cannot grant nod for architecture course
Source: The Hindu via PwC – EdLive
The Karnataka High Court has ruled that the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) does not have a role to play in granting approval for the architecture course while declaring that the Council of Architecture is the statutory authority to grant approval for architecture education.
Justice Hulavadi G Ramesh passed the order while allowing the petitions filed by the BMS Educational Trust and BMS School of Architecture seeking directions to the state and the Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) to recognise and accept the approval granted by the Council of Architecture.
The petitioner contended that architecture was not a branch of engineering or technology and it was covered by the Architecture Act, 1972. Also, the Council of Architecture was the final authority for fixing of norms and regulating the standard of architecture education and profession in India, and the AICTE had no authority over this domain of education. The court upheld the contentions of the institution and asked the state and the VTU to recognise the approval granted by the Council of Architecture for the architecture course being offered by the school.
UGC accreditation must for technical institutes
Source: The Pioneer via PwC – EdLive
According to the HRD Ministry officials, the UGC is in the process of coming out with regulations in this regard. At present, the AICTE is the lone regulatory authority for technical education providers. The step has also been taken following cognisance of a feedback study by the Union HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju. The study found 53% technical graduates not meeting the standards of the industry today. A dismal 13% of the technical graduates were found industry-ready, while 17% worth trainable. “This is being done to bring greater accountability in the technical and management education in the country. There have been reports about various irregularities in the accreditation process so far by the AICTE. Giving UGC the mandate will create checks and balances,” said an HRD Ministry official. The regulations could be notified by February 2013 so that it comes into effect during the coming academic session.
The UGC, presently, regulates only the general academic programmes across the country and very recently it has also been tasked to regulate the entry of foreign educational institutions in India. The HRD Ministry, through UGC, sought to make it mandatory for every higher educational institution and every programme to get accredited by an accreditation agency to certify academic quality. Sources said the Ministry has also written to state governments to create accrediting agencies to regulate systematically the technical and management institutions for imparting quality education. The UGC has been tasked for this work as the National Accreditation Regulatory Authority for Higher Educational Institutions Bill, 2010 is still pending in the Parliament. It could not be taken over during the just concluded Winter Session while chances of tabling during the Budget Session of the Parliament are also bleak.
To set technical standards for institutes, the HRD Minister also announced a new accreditation body under the AICTE on the lines of the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) with identical functions. It was argued that the need for the new body was an effort towards capacity building and to follow the best practices of different countries to come out with new methodologies of evaluation as AICTE has 60,000 programmes or institutes awaiting clearances.
AICTE to allow technical courses through distance mode
Source: www.mangaloreinformation.com via PwC – EdLive
The Human Resource Development Minister M M Pallam Raju has informed that the AICTE will allow more technical courses including engineering through correspondence i.e. distance learning mode, as long as the laboratory work for these courses is conducted through face-to-face sessions.
‘Technical education’ as defined under the AICTE Act 1987, includes programme of education, research and training, engineering, technology, architecture, town planning, management, pharmacy and applied arts and crafts. Currently, students can only pursue technical courses such as management (MBA) and computer application (BCA, MCA) programmes through distance learning. Till date, the AICTE was of the view that distance education programmes in engineering should not be offered till proper standards have been put in place. So this provision for allowing studying engineering through correspondence comes with a clause.
“Only those students who have at least one regular classroom diploma or degree and with some work experience are eligible to apply for these distance technical education degrees. Also, this relaxation will not apply to architecture and pharmacy courses,” said AICTE Chairman, Dr S S Mantha. He added that based on recommendations of several committees, the council has decided to allow more technical courses through correspondence. However, the final decision will be taken later. The proposal is likely to be finalised by February 2013.
MHRD tasked AICTE to regulate framework for technical education offered via distance mode
Source: The Times of India via PwC – EdLive
The AICTE has to tighten the guidelines by March 2013. The Distance Education Council (DEC) under the The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) can no more regulate others and its powers will be put back to its original regulator which is UGC. Currently, private technical universities offer distance programmes without approvals. This move has been approved by the DEC and IGNOU and the latter will be amended in accordance. This development has taken a solid shape due to several petitions filed in courts challenging the IGNOU Act on the grounds that how can IGNOU award affiliations to other institutes, when it itself is one of them.
ISB, IIFT under AICTE lens
Source: www.infoline.com via PwC – EdLive
The latest list of unapproved institutions put out by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) features some popular names second only to the IIMs or even considered on par with them. The Indian School of Business (ISB) in Hyderabad, the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in Delhi, and the Great Lakes Institute of Management (GLIM) in Chennai have made a name for themselves within and outside the country, but are also on the AICTE’s list of unapproved institutions. Others include the Indian Institute of Planning and Management, ICFAI, Amity Business School and ITM.
However, the institutions are not unduly worried by this. The official statement released by the ISB “stated that the institution’s one-year postgraduate programme does not fall under the ambit of AICTE’s current regulatory mechanism for business schools and therefore no approval was sought.” Sriram servicing, healthcare, construction technology and textiles. Students will be offered world-class training which is adapted to the Indian market and industry requirements. The CMC Academy currently offers job-enabling training in IT, accounting and finance and several skill areas through 250 plus training locations across the country. India’s accelerated economic growth and increasing demand for skilled manpower will require intensive efforts to achieve the target of up-skilling 500 million workers by 2022. Recent estimates show only 10% of the total workforce in the country is receiving some kind of skills training (2% with formal training and 8% with informal training). According to the NSSO survey, only 6% of the total workforce (459 million) is in the organised sector. The World Economic Forum indicates that only 25% of all Indian professionals are considered employable by the organised sector. The unorganised sector is not supported by any structured skill development and training system to acquire or upgrade skills.
Delhi School of Business (DSB) launches PGDM, AICTE accredited programme
Source: www.moneylife.in via PwC – EdLive
To meet India’s growing professional skill demand, Vivekananda Institute of Professional Studies (VIPS) launched
a two year full-time AICTE accredited management programme under the Delhi School of Business (DSB). The latter will offer a dynamic curriculum that will not only respond to market needs but also anticipate them.
Located in Pitampura, West Delhi, the DSB was launched by Dr. S C Vats, an eminent educationist, philanthropist, and former member of the Delhi Legislative Assembly. Registration for the first batch (June 2013-2015) of 120 students is open by submitting CAT, GMAT, CMAT or MAT scores. Applicants can also submit more than one test score.
225 B-schools, 52 engineering colleges close in two years
Source: The Times of India via PwC – EdLive
In the early part of the last decade, hundreds of new institutes came up and thousands of aspirants queued up to join them. A decade later, the picture is one of stark contrast in technical professional colleges. Since 2011, 225 B-schools and over 50 engineering colleges across India have closed down. Many more colleges have trimmed programmes, branches of engineering or streams in the management course.
Similarly, the Master of Business Administration programme was once the most sought after. Now, for the first time, the overall growth of MBA education is negative in the books of the AICTE. In 2011-12, 146 new B-schools came up and 124 that were already running closed down. This year so far, 101 management colleges have closed down, while only 82 have started. Similar is the story with the Master of Computer Application (MCA) course—84 colleges stopped offering the programme this year; only 27 started MCA courses. As a result, the AICTE has decided to allow colleges to offer a five-year dual degree programme and also permit graduates of science, BSc (computer science) and BSc (information technology) to jump to the second year of the MCA course. Yet, the small positive growth in the sector is from the engineering colleges where new institutes are coming up faster than closures taking place, largely in Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Rajasthan.
S S Mantha, AICTE Chairman, said, “This is a turning phase for the professional education sector. Colleges in remote India and institutes of poor quality are not getting students. And for colleges, there is just one key to attracting students: institutes need to be top-of-the-line colleges. There is no pay-off in running a bad college.” “The problem is also linked to the slowdown,” said IIM-Ahmedabad Director Samir Barua and added, “The job market has been tight for a couple of years. Earlier, many would give up a job to get an MBA and then re-enter the job market after pumping up their CV. They are hesitant to take such a risk now. The pressure is being felt and applications for MBA are falling. But undergraduate programmes such as engineering will not feel the same tension as everyone wants their first college degree.”
AICTE instructs to accept CMAT scores or penalty
Source: www.cmat.learnhub.com via PwC – EdLive
Many leading B-Schools have denied accepting the CMAT scores to enrol students even after receiving instructions from the All India Council of Education (AICTE). The latter has given strict instruction to all its affiliated colleges and institutes to accept CMAT scores or to face the consequences. From this year on the exam will be conducted twice a year to offer more flexibility and opportunity to submit the best score in B-Schools. An AICTE official said that they are not facing problems with Tier II and III B-schools, but with leading B-schools. Most of them prefer to accept CAT, XAT or MAT scores to enrol students rather than this newly initiated test.
In 2011, the Supreme Court after hearing a petition against the exploitation by management institutions had instructed government to come out with a solution as soon as possible, so that the aspirants will not get affected with the tussle between the AICTE and B-schools. The AICTE is planning to blacklist these institutions. It could also mean derecognising these institutions. This means that students graduating from these institutions will not be considered for jobs in government and public undertakings.”
AICTE allows firms with Rs 100 cr turnover to start their own colleges
Source: The Indian Express via PwC – EdLive
Aiming to bridge the gap between technical educational institutes and the expectations of those who employ their graduates, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has decided to allow industries and businesses with Rs 100 crore turnover to set up technical institutions of their own. Such institutions will be allowed to admit double the number of students allowed at regular institutions, and would be able to start a single branch or theme institute of their choice, according to the AICTE’s notification inviting applications to start new institutes for the 2013-14 academic year. “We often hear that students graduating from technical institutes are not industry-ready or employable. Hence, we want to bring in the best practices of industry and want them to participate in the higher and technical education sector,” said AICTE chairman S S Mantha. “Accordingly, a private limited or public limited company or industry, with a turnover of Rs 100 crore in the last three years, will now be eligible to apply to start a new institute.”Such institutions can teach any technical discipline, including engineering, pharmacy, architecture and town planning, applied arts and crafts, and hotel management and catering technology. They can offer undergraduate or postgraduate or diploma courses.
Separately, AICTE has also eased norms to help students wanting to pursue a masters degree in computer applications (MCA). “Students who have completed their undergraduate education in any discipline can apply for MCA. But we have introduced a new rule in which students who have done their bachelors in any computer related subject like B.Sc IT/ BCA/computer science, will get lateral or direct entry to second year of MCA,” said Mantha. AICTE is also introducing a dual degree programme in MCA in which students will complete BCA and MCA in five years instead of six.
Industries may soon get a role in higher education
Source: Mint via Pwc – EdLive
In an effort to boost research and employable workforce, India is preparing to involve industries in higher education. The Ministry for HRD expects this will solve issues related to land availability and finance. In return, the government will give industries independence and fast-track regulatory clearances for opening institutes that will focus on research specific to industry requirements.
Recently, the Ministry, in association with Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), invited 17 government departments and ministries and nearly 60 companies to a two-day conference in Delhi.“If we reach an agreement, then we don’t have to go to Parliament and it will be more of a ministry-level decision to engage industry in higher education,” said SS Mantha, Chairman, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the regulator in the higher education sector for technical institutes and a part of the HRD Ministry. Shalini Sharma, Head of the education wing, CII, said companies are open to the idea and want to know what the government is offering, “Through the conference we want to understand what the industry requires on the regulatory front. We will try to accommodate that.” Mantha added, “The government cannot do everything by its own. Once the industry participates, issues like land and finance will be taken care of easily.” He said that involving the industry will promote theme-based research and innovation during the 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17). This will ‘stimulate discussion between industry players and ministries’ on setting up institutes that will focus on specific research and enter into twinning and collaborative programmes with other universities and research organisations.
HC asks AICTE to probe if colleges running unapproved courses
Source: The Economic Times via PwC – EdLive
The AICTE has been asked by the Delhi High Court to probe into an allegation that various engineering colleges are conducting unapproved courses. Disposing of a plea for direction to colleges to stop unapproved courses, a bench of Acting Chief Justice A K Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw asked the AICTE, the regulatory body for technical education, to carry out a thorough probe and apprise it of its findings within four months. The court order came after the AICTE counsel told the bench that the statutory body would examine the allegations by conducting an in-depth enquiry into the matter.
AICTE to give 1 crore INR seed capital for research parks
Source: DNA India via PwC – EdLive
The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will fund institutes with 1 crore INR to set up research parks, in order to encourage research among students. An industry partner will also be tasked with setting up the research park, along with providing funds to the tune of 1 crore INR. The research activities to be carried out in the park will also include studies needed for the industry.
“This will be a perfect give-and-take deal. While the industry will participate in financial assistance, the institutes will conduct research on the basis of industry needs. Researchers will also get hands-on experience with real-time industry research activities,” said SS Mantha, Chairman, AICTE. The research park will be set up on the institute premises itself, which should make available at least a 3,000-square-feet area for it.
“We aim to open such research parks in at least one state each. However, more such parks would be welcome to provide ample opportunities to research scholars in India,” added Mantha.
Besides this, the AICTE is also going to offer other schemes to encourage research work. The top 100 research students will be placed at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) laboratories. The scholars will be shortlisted through a competitive model of testing and the AICTE will give 15,000 INR per month to each student for three years.