Catalyzing Excellence In Education

MUSHROOMING Of ENGINEERING COLLEGES

HEAD

Not many years back, I heard a rather mirthless voice comment, “If u close your eyes and throw a stone, I can bet, it will hit an engineer.” A stark reference to the mushrooming of engineering colleges all over India. The criticism cannot be lost on anyone, but the question that arises is, what's so ridiculous about having a vast majority of your population technically equipped? Isn't it really wonderful to be finally able to offer opportunities in proportion to our ever increasing population.
A few years back, so many of our young men and women with a knack for technology were made to opt for alternative careers, just because there weren't enough seats. Now atleast they can pursue their interests.
Moreover with the ongoing industrial revolution in our country, India requires a fair percentage of technically gifted youngsters to come forward and make a change. The number of engineers produced every year is nothing to be ashamed of. The truth of the statement can be realized with a little hindsight. In the not so distant past, when the world was experiencing the much talked about IT boom, India was among the forerunners. The reason is simple; the IT professionals from India were in demand from even the most unlikely quarters of the world. Not only did they bring in foreign currency but also played a vital role in strengthening in our relationships with other nations and tipping the scales in our favour. The number of engineers produced by us is a measure of the technical worth of our country, and I would like to add, so is the mushrooming of engineering colleges.
The best part about these upcoming colleges is their innovativeness. Not marred by any prior notions, they work laboriously to establish their reputation, offering better facilities than their government counterparts.
The educational system in India has witnessed a revolution. Today as we all know, knowledge is available to one and all and the rank secured by a candidate in the entrance test is not the sole criterion for selection. The pattern being followed in the west is being replicated, yielding good results. These private colleges have rejuvenated the almost defunct educational system and are producing better technical literates as is clearly evident from their performance in the combined university examinations. Atleast they are better than those so called 'reputed' colleges which are fast losing their glory and charm by laboratories that are turning into store rooms and teachers who do not liked to be questioned twice. These colleges are striving hard to fully live upto the meaning of the word 'guru' (gu~dark room, ru~light) and provide standard education in an impartial and wholesome atmosphere.
Another fact worth considering is that most of these colleges have been established by capable individuals with a vision, a foresight and also ample resources at the disposal. Due to this they do not have to depend upon the government for funding, as is glaringly obvious by their infrastructure.
A select few of them, which have created a name for themselves, are now offering a variety of courses, which will open myriad opportunities for the students. India is being swept a wave of literacy, never experienced before.
This however does not include those two room imposters whose facades are covered with fancy stuff, just to hide their worthlessness. But we do not have to worry about those “poisonous mushrooms”, do we? They shan't survive the stiff competition out there because only where there is substance there is life.

TAIL

“If you pick up a stone and aim with your eyes closed, I can bet it will hit an engineer”. This is a very popular statement which will soon be modified into “The building the stone hits would be an engineering college”. It is no more just a joke, it is turning out to be true.
The rate of newcomers in the UP counseling brochure is good, I mean pretty good. The number of colleges in the year 2000 were sixty-two, but currently there are 117. I cannot figure out the reason behind this escalation. The much-touted 'status' of being an engineer is plummeting. When I was a kid, my parents used to talk proudly about my cousins who made it to engineering colleges, but by the time my number came, they knew that if I could not make it to 'ABC' college I would definitely make it to 'XYZ' engineering college.
As far as jobs in India are concerned, they are increasing at a very average rate. But the number of claimants is increasing exponentially. This is one of the main reasons of unemployment in India. Students with a myth that just a professional degree and a high score would earn them a good job, passout from colleges ending up in frustration. Why does it happen? Because most of the private colleges emphasize only on academics. As good results and high scores earn them their reputation and establish them in the educational market. As far as I know, textual knowledge is not the only criterion for selection in any interview, rather the personality of the candidate is examined and these engineers lack in this respect.
Even the faculty in these colleges is not well versed as far as practical application is concerned. Most of the faculties are freshers, college passouts, who just take over the teaching profession on a temporary basis. So they can't render quality education to the students, partly because they lack experience and partly because they have their careers to concentrate on.
It is heart wrenching to see that a person securing 45% PCM is studying in an engineering college. How did he get into it? Simple, the college offered him a direct seat. Just to get proper funding, these colleges absorb candidates who are just fit enough to handle their dad's business, certainly not of being an engineer. I feel there is nothing to be gained in harvesting so many worthless engineers, who do it only for degree sake or for namesake.
These institutes lack funds, due to which they lag behind as far as infrastructure is concerned. Their laboratories are not updated nor do they provide any practical knowledge to the students. Some of the individuals no more bother, what they are studying, and those who do, can't do anything about it, because the college cannot support them in their endeavours. The colleges and students alike, lack in the application part.
We don't require quantity; it is quality that is desired. The government should lay down effective criteria which are in tune with these private engineering colleges. As a few smart and efficient engineers are always better than a lot of incompetent ones. All I say is that, it's high time that the mushrooming of engineering colleges be curtailed.