10 percent EWS quota to be implemented in colleges and universities in the academic year 2019-20 itself- Shri Prakash Javadekar

Benefits of 7th CPC to be extended to teachers and other academic staff of State Govt. / Govt. aided degree level technical institutions in the country- HRD Minister

Union HRD Minister, Shri Prakash Javadekar while addressing a press conference in New Delhi today, informed that in a landmark decision, the Government  has decided that from the academic year 2019-20 itself, 10 percent Economically Weaker Section (EWS) quota will be implemented across 40, 000 colleges and 900 Universities in the country. This 10 percent quota for EWS will be over and above the existing quotas for SCs, STs and OBCs and General seats.

Adequate additional seats will be created in these colleges and universities to implement the quota for EWS. The UGC and AICTE will be provided the operational mandate within a week to implement the quota.

In another major announcement, Shri Javadekar informed that the Government has approved proposal to extend the 7^th CPC to the teachers and other academic staff of the State Govt. / Govt. aided degree level technical institutions in the country, which will have additional Central Government  liability of Rs.1241.78 crore.  

He said that the Central Government will reimburse 50% of the total additional expenditure (from 1.1.2016 to 31.3.2019) to be incurred by these institutes for payment of arrears on account of 7^th CPC implementation.

This will directly benefit a total of 29,264 teachers and other academic staff of State Government funded institutes. Besides, about 3.5 lakh teachers and other academic staff of private colleges/ institutions within the purview of AICTE will also benefit from the approval given today, he added.

The Minister said that the implementation of pay commission recommendation in State Government Aided / funded AICTE approved technical institutes will help them in attracting and retaining the faculty of high academic standards.

Source: http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=187513 (Accessed on January 16, 2018)

Tech courses: Fewer seats for direct admission to second year

To reduce vacancies, AICTE cuts excess seat quota for 2019-20 by half

Getting direct admission to the second year of technical courses is set to get tougher in 2019-20, as the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has cut the intake capacity for lateral admissions to half, in a bid to reduce the vacancies.

Lateral entry allows engineering and pharmacy diploma holders and those with BSc (Information Technology) and Bachelor of Computer Administration (BCA) degrees to be admitted directly to the second year of a technical course. Those who have passed Class 12 examination or completed a vocational course from an Industrial Training Institute (ITI), too, can be admitted to the second year of diploma courses. These students are accommodated in the supernumerary (excess) quota created for them or given seats left vacant during the first-year admissions.

So far, technical colleges could laterally admit up to 20% more students than the number of seats allotted to it, and move them to the supernumerary quota.

Maharashtra’s lateral admissions in 2018-19 stood at 52,826 for engineering degree and 35,669 for diploma courses.

According to AICTE’s approval process handbook for the upcoming academic year, the number of supernumerary seats in an institute will now be capped to 10% of the actual intake. “Usually, around 50% of the seats in the first year of engineering colleges remain vacant across the country. Diploma students seek lateral entry to these seats, so there is no need for additional seats,” said Anil Sahasrabudhe, chairman, AICTE.

Reducing the supernumerary seats, instead of doing away with the excess seats altogether is the regulator’s way to balance the aspirations of students and colleges, said experts.

“Many colleges with large vacancies have been requesting us to do away with the supernumerary seats, to get some students who otherwise look to get absorbed in popular colleges. Excess seats also affect the quality of education. Reducing the intake will ensure bright diploma holders get accommodated in good institutes,” said Sahasrabudhe.

Gopakumaran Thampi, principal, Thadomal Shahani Engineering College, Bandra, said, “With fewer seats available in degree programmes, diploma holders will be forced to seek employment, instead of pursuing higher education, while others may look to get enrolled in the first year of the course. AICTE should have retained 20% excess seats as it was not affecting the quality.”

 Source: Hindustan Times dated January 16, 2019

https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/tech-courses-fewer-seats-for-direct-admission-to-second-year/story-ZPw9rPfi2MSLvGIyNwjduO.html