Old disciplines face axe as AICTE talks AI

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will phase out conventional disciplines from the academic year 2020-21 and allow only new and emerging fields like artificial intelligence (AI) that have high employment potential, the government told the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The technical regulator has prepared "a perspective plan" to impart the requisite skill sets to engineering students to enhance their employability and bridge the gap between industry needs and academic inputs provided to students in technical institutes.

"The AICTE will not allow new conventional disciplines with low employment potential from the academic year 2020-21," Human Resource Development (HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank told the Lower House in a written reply to a member's question.

The council will allow "only new and emerging fields" like artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), block chain, robotics, quantum computing, data sciences, cyber security, 3D printing & design and augmented reality/virtual reality "with high employment potential", he said.

The minister also listed other initiatives taken by the AICTE to increase the employability of engineering students.

"Engineering students are being trained so that they can be a part of the Make-in-India initiative of the government," Nishank said while replying to supplementary questions during the Question Hour.

Smart India hackathons were being organised to encourage innovations so that they could act as a "funnel" for Startup India, he said.