After lifting the regulation on the establishment of new technical education institutions in March, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has approved the bids of 89 engineering schools across the nation. In addition, the council has for the first time authorized 80 additional institutions, the majority of which are privately run, to begin offering undergraduate courses in the three main thrust areas of the center—VLSI (semiconductors) design, logistics, and advanced communication technology.
According to the official, this is the first time that three new UG courses have been introduced. The majority of the courses fall under the category of electronics engineering, and the institutions that have been given permission to provide them are those that are eager to offer programmes in these priority areas.
Although the government first announced the introduction of two such courses in February, colleges are now beginning to offer degree degrees in these fundamental areas of electronics.
This is the first time that full-fledged undergraduate courses are being launched in these thrust areas to boost domestic chip design manufacturing by churning out professionals and creating a talent-pool in the field, according to Prof. RajivElectronicse Kumar, member secretary, AICTE. “Up until now, we only had a few colleges offering postgraduate programmes in VLSI design and communication technology, including some of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs),” he added.
The government is promoting large-scale semi-conductor industries in India, requiring human resources development. The ministry of electronics, IT, and communications has prepared syllabi and faculty development programs for these courses. The council has partnered with two major chip design firms to develop faculty. The ‘Semicon India’ programme aims to develop 85,000 semi-conductor professionals over 10 years, with three focus areas: PM Gatishakti (logistics), semi-conductors (VLSI), and advanced communication technology like 5G.
The AICTE has granted approvals to 89 engineering colleges for the 2023-24 approval process, with 44 self-financing private institutions, 27 government-run colleges, and the rest state-run private universities. The colleges will offer UG, PG, and diploma courses.
The moratorium has been lifted due to an increase in students choosing core areas like civil, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and electronics. The approval process handbook for 2023-24 relaxed the moratorium clauses, allowing non-profit societies or trusts to establish engineering and technology institutions in India. However, new applicants must apply for at least three core engineering courses, with preference given to colleges offering multi-disciplinary STEM courses in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
In 2018, a committee recommended short-term and medium-term prospective plans for engineering colleges, as 30%-40% of seats were vacant in privately run institutions. The moratorium was lifted in March this year due to the upward trend in admissions to core subjects.
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