On November 21, 2018, All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has disclosed its policies on some of the major reforms in technical education or engineering education across the country such as mandatory internship for engineering students , engineering exam reforms and training of technical teachers .
As a part of its recommendations, AICTE formulated a policy that will encourage engineering students to undergo 600 – 700 hours of internships. Pursuing internships will earn credits to engineering students.
As per the Internship Policy Document of AICTE, B.Tech students will get 14-20 credits for pursuing entrepreneurial activities or internships. Similarly, Diploma in engineering students will be awarded 14 credits for the same. Engineering diploma students will have to undergo at least 450- 500 hours of internship.
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Apart from internships, AICTE also recommended some major reforms in the examination system of engineering courses. The new exam reforms will be formulated in such a way to test students' ability to apply knowledge rather than encouraging them to rely on cram facts. The council has also given its nod for open book exams for engineering courses to implement some of the major exam reforms.
On the other hand, technical teachers across the country will have to undergo a mandatory induction course at the time of joining. Further, it is the responsibility of teachers to keep themselves updated from time to time. The in-service training programme will help in-service teachers to stay updated in the field of technical education.
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The policies with regard to reforms in technical education are released by MHRD (Ministry of Human Resource Development) with an aim to improve the employability of engineering students.
On November 20, 2018, AICTE confirmed that it did not frame any proposal to implement GATE as the Exit Test for B.Tech graduates .
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