‘Are engg colleges, universities discussing reforms suggested by AICTE, MHRD?’

LIT director Raju Mankar last week spoke on the contentious issue of engineering colleges joining the Lonere-based Babasaheb Ambedkar Technological University (BATU) where he served as vice-chancellor. He told TOI how a single university will bring major reform in engineering education.
Conforming to the view that all engineering colleges must affiliate to a single technological university, well-known academician and director of GH Raisoni College of Engineering Preeti Bajaj says that a lot needs to be done for those who are not doing so.

A plethora of problems dog autonomous and non/autonomous engineering colleges which will need sincere efforts to solve, she says. She also tells how traditional universities can survive without engineering colleges, which are a prime source of income for the universities, and also touches upon some other aspects of the issue.

Excerpts from the interview ...

Q. Yours is an autonomous college. How do you see this move of engineering colleges joining BATU?

A. So far, only three colleges from the region have joined BATU. We haven’t given any thought of switching over but the Nagpur University (NU) needs to think about this trend.

Q. What can be the first step in deliberations over this trend?

A. In the last two or three years, the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) and All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) have issued guidelines and government resolutions regarding reforms in engineering education. One of them is internship policy which requires students to spend considerable amount of time gaining hands-on experience in the industry during the entire course. This single reform is facing lots of challenges from parents, students as well as industry. Also, AICTE has suggested exam reforms which are applicable to every autonomous and non-autonomous colleges. Have college or the university thought about them?

Q. Is there anything more to think about?

A. Graded autonomy is being discussed nowadays. The concept is about how much is your NAAC or NBA score or standing in NIRF rankings. Based on this, UGC will award the level of autonomy to colleges. When are we going to discuss these core issues pertaining the engineering education?

Q. What challenges are autonomous colleges facing here?

A. Autonomous colleges are authorized to start their new degree courses and rename them. But the university is not allowing them. Starting an honours (major and minor) degree is the first thing any autonomous college will do. It is its right. We understand the Nagpur University has many colleges under it but it must be progressive in its thought. It must work in line with national guidelines to compete with the best universities. Also, autonomous colleges have been given certain privileges by UGC and MHRD which are not being understood and entertained for years by NU.

Q. What can NU do to start with?

A. Being a board member of our group’s Pune institute, I have been in touch with officials from Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). That university is giving research grants to every college every year. They charge only Rs900 for exam and in that they are managing these findings. But, it also holds them accountable for spending the money by conducting regular audits. Like SPPU, NU too can start giving grants to colleges instead of expecting revenue.

Q. Do you think all engineering colleges should get affiliated to a single university?

A. It is a good idea for all to join BATU. At the same time, UGC and MHRD are encouraging colleges to seek autonomy. SPPU had conducted a meeting of all its colleges and conveyed the message. But, the BATU Act does not make it mandatory. In the state it is optional. In other states, a large number of technological colleges have joined a single university but there are others who haven’t. Mumbai and Pune are brand names. We too have a legacy but we have to make it a strong brand. All have to work hard rather than playing blame game.

Q. In case government makes it a must, how do you think the non-agriculture universities can survive?

A. Traditional or non-agriculture universities can certainly survive if they adopt digital technologies (modern practices) and generate revenue through achievements like producing more and more patents, licences and different academic programmes on campus. The NU doesn’t have a technology department. It can start one. This way it will get lots of funding and revenue which will decrease its reliance on tuition or exam fee.

Q. What do you think can be done to revive engineering education?

A. Reforms suggested by UGC and AICTE in exams, and teachers training have to be brought in at the earliest. Many state universities are doing LEC inspections, approval of research papers, patents, IPR and student management through a single window software. We need one-point solutions and outcome based education. Engineering education can survive only if 60% curriculum is practical oriented. Admissions will automatically improve if such issues are addressed.

Q. NU Academic Council has okayed a proposal to implement AICTE model curriculum and BE (Honours). Will it work?

A. Yes, it will work. The move needs to be extended to credit mobility and credit exemption. We allow our students to pursue certain credits from Pune-based College of Engineering and VJTI and IITs. Some will also go to foreign. So. universities should be modern in thought.

Q. Is it good to look at engineering colleges only as revenue generators?

A. Not at all. They should be considered as places of innovations, start-ups, hub for industries, centres of excellence which would bring revenue to institutes who should then pass on the benefits to universities. For that, academic freedom is must to excel in engineering education.