Indore: Dreaded 75% attendance rule scrapped in engg colleges

Indore: In a major relief to BE and BTech students, ministry of human resource development (MHRD) on Friday scrapped the 75 per cent attendance rule in undergraduate courses believing that the step would provide more opportunities to engineering students to take hands-on experience and enhance employability.

In a circular addressed to engineering colleges, Policy & Academic Planning Bureau (AICTE) advisor GK Gokhale said: “To address the declining employability of over 12 Lakh engineering graduates, MHRD has decided to scrap the 75 per cent attendance rule with effecting from January 18 due to inability of updating the syllabus on new technologies and advancements regularly. “

The circular states that the step has been taken as the growing unemployability of engineering graduates in the nation has become a serious issue for students as well as technical firms and companies based in India.

“According to latest statistics and data from National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation and AICTE carried out in late 2017 about 57.43 per cent of engineering graduates from various technical institutes across the nation remain unemployed due to lack of skill and continuous rote learning to clear the graduate level examination,” the circular reads.

It adds: “Moreover 75.93 per cent of engineering graduates are unable to code in any of the programming languages even after basic programming courses being a mandatory in the AICTE approved curriculum during initial semesters of BE/BTech programme. Rote Learning and Cramming remains popular across the students of these institutions to clear examinations.”

“To address the declining employability, MHRD has decided to scrap the 75 per cent attendance rule,” the circular states. It further states that students of BE/BTech or equivalent programme have to submit a vocational project related to their hobby or subject each semester for a “hands on” experience to develop employability in various sectors of the economy.

Failure in submission of vocational projects each semester and three mandatory internships would result in refusal to issue the equivalent degree. Institutes would have to make provisions to avoid plagiarism in vocational projects, provide internships to students in/or before their final year, upload/preserve vocational projects till the degree is awarded.

The MHRD will be conducting workshops to make students and faculties aware about the latter for smooth transition towards the updated curriculum.