Merger of Two Technical Institutes Not Possible: HRD Ministry
- MHRD gave clarification on the merger of two technical institutes in Rajya Sabha.
- The government has not approved AICTE's idea to merge two colleges that are in a close proximity.
Most of the engineering colleges in India do not have a sufficient number of students and are looking forward to merg with other technical institutes, thatare also facing the similar situation. Earlier, AICTE advised these institutes to shut down the courses that have less enrolment. However, some of the technical institutes asked AICTE for the merger of two colleges so that they can share resources, infrastructure and others.
The merger will help the colleges to maintain financial stability. AICTE can also sort out the issue of a large number of seats lying vacant in engineering colleges across the country. According to AICTE, the merger could be possible between two colleges, that are in near proximity.
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However, the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD) had a different perspective on mergers. On January 4, 2018, Mr. Satya Pal Singh, Minister of HRD (State) informed Rajya Sabha that the government is not planning to merge the two colleges, which are in close proximity. He further clarified that AICTE had also rolled back the plan to merge two technical institutes.
Technical institutes, that have less enrolment can reduce the intake of engineering courses or opt for closure as per the directions of All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Recently, the higher technical education regulator announced that it would shut down the colleges that have less than 30% of enrolment. Similarly, AICTE will not grant approval for new technical institutes in the states where more number of engineering seats are lying vacant every year.