40 per cent of engg graduates get placements: Javadekar

 Only 40 per cent of engineering graduates got placements after passing out of college.
To improve this bleak scenario, the AICTE has decided to introduce summer internships for at least 75 per cent of the students and introduce updated model curriculum, HRD minister Prakash Javadekar said in the Rajya Sabha today.

He said the government has set up a target of making at least 60 per cent of engineering graduates in the country employable in the next 5 years.

During the Question Hour, members expressed concerns about the quality of education in engineering and teachers training colleges.

According to a latest study of the All India Council for Techinical Education (AICTE), only 40 per cent of the engineering students are employable, Javadekar told the House.

The government plans to improve this figure from 40 to 60 per cent in 5 years, he said, adding that a plan was being put in place to introduce summer internships for at least 75 per cent of the engineering students to make them "industry ready", he said.

To replace the obsolete syllabi, the AICTE would put up model curriculum on its website which it would also keep updating regularly.

Speaking about B Ed colleges, he said there were a large number of complaints about the quality of education, following which the HRD ministry has asked them to submit affidavits about the number of teachers, salaries, infrastructure etc.

About 6,300 institutions have given the feedback which were being analysed, while hundreds of those colleges which have not submitted the required details will get notices asking why action should not be taken against them, the HRD minister said.

According to the details provided by the minister, the number of approved engineering colleges in the country in 2016-17 was 8,409, their approved intake was 31.72 lakh students and there were 6.47 lakh teachers.

In 2015-16, there were 8,552 approved colleges with an approved intake of 33.23 lakh, while the actual enrolment was 16.62 lakh.

In the current year, there were 122 technical institutions which have been permitted to be closed, the minister said in his reply.

NCP leader Praful Patel raised the issue of a huge number of seats in engineering colleges lying vacant, to which Javadekar said it was a "legacy issue" as people who were willing to invest were liberally given permissions to start an engineering college.

Improvement in quality is the solution, he said. During the discussion, Congress member Kapil Sibal said that under the NEET exam, conducted by the CBSE, a centralised counselling is followed.

Sibal, a former HRD minister, said many Christian medical colleges were not able to admit students who would otherwise serve in the rural parts of the country. Javadekar said he would let the Health ministry know of his concerns.

Leader of Opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad asked why NEET examination was not being conducted in Urdu.

Javadekar said the states have to send proposals in this regard and added that he would consider the matter.