State seeks AICTE approval for 52 new technical institutes
The state government has recommended 52 new professional institutes in the state for approval from the All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE) this year. The colleges, which include management, pharmacy, engineering and integrated campuses, if approved ,will accommodate 11,158 more students. “We received 98 applications of which we have shortlisted 52. The list of approved institutes should be out by the end of the month,” said Rajesh Tope, minister of higher and technical education. Last year, the AICTE had approved 116 new colleges in the state out of 240 proposals. This year applications across the country have reduced. While AICTE has tightened its norms, experts said that the market for technical education has saturated. Every year, seats go vacant especially in new colleges that have not yet established a reputation. Last year, 9,000 management seats and 22,000 engineering seats remained vacant after the admission process was done. To fill up vacancies in B-schools, the...