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Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
CET Cell receives tepid response to entrance test for undergrad admissions
PUNE: Even after multiple extensions and widespread awareness campaigns, the state Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell has received a lukewarm response to the entrance test for professional undergraduate courses including Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor of Management Studies (BMS), and Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA). As per the results declared today, only around 72,000 students have registered for the CET this year, which governs admissions to more than 1.05 lakh seats across Maharashtra. This marks the second consecutive year of underwhelming participation since these courses were reclassified as 'professional' under the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2023. Before this shift, admissions were based solely on class 12 marks, a system that many stakeholders are now demanding be reinstated. Despite launching the registration process four months ahead of the exam and collaborating with universities and institutions to boost outreach, the state CET Cell struggled to attract adequate numbers. The registration deadline was extended three times, finally closing on March 28, 2025, while every effort was made to reach potential aspirants. A CET Cell official said, 'We launched targeted campaigns, partnered with colleges and universities, and used both digital and traditional media for outreach. Some principals advised us to keep registrations open after class 12 exams, which we did. But the response remained below expectations.' While the number of students registering for the CET has increased by 27% as compared to last year's figure of around 57,000, it remains insufficient to fill the 1.05 lakh seats available. In 2024, the state conducted a second CET round after the first failed to attract enough candidates, yet only 40,000 students eventually took admission. Many private colleges, which host a large share of these courses, are now lobbying the state's higher education department to revert to the previous admission system based on Class 12 results. They argue that the CET requirement has discouraged students, particularly from smaller towns and non-urban backgrounds.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
India's demand for AI professionals to hit 1 million by 2026: Report
NEW DELHI: India is set to witness a sharp rise in demand for Artificial Intelligence (AI) professionals, with reports projecting a need for one million skilled workers by 2026. As the nation aims to become a $23–35 trillion economy by 2047, higher education—especially in engineering—is being reshaped to keep pace with the fast-changing job market driven by AI, automation, and innovation across disciplines, as detailed in the report 'India's AI Revolution: A Roadmap to Viksit Bharat', issued by the Union Ministry of Electronics & IT. Engineering is at the center of this shift. According to the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), the number of approved seats for 2024–25 has increased to 14.9 lakh, a 16% rise over the past four years. This growth is mainly due to a surge of over 50% in seats for Computer Science and related fields like AI/ML, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Cloud Computing, and Blockchain, reflecting strong demand from industry. India's technical education sector is adopting cross-disciplinary and industry-integrated approaches to develop engineers proficient in coding, creation, collaboration and innovation leadership. The evolution from STEM to STEAM, incorporating Arts, is becoming prevalent, combining technical expertise with design thinking, communication, psychology, law and business principles. The India Skills Report 2024 by Wheebox predicts the country's AI industry will reach $28.8 billion by 2025, growing at 45 per cent CAGR. The report indicates that AI-skilled professionals have increased 14-fold from 2016 to 2023, positioning India amongst the top five rapidly growing AI talent centres, alongside Singapore, Finland, Ireland, and Canada. "The surge in demand for AI professionals' stems from rapid technological progress. As AI reshapes productivity, operations, and innovation, preparing a future-ready workforce is imperative. At SRM Institute of Science and Technology, we offer interdisciplinary programs in areas like Medical Engineering, ECE with Data science, Biotechnology (Food Technology) and AI-ML Embedded Systems to bridge emerging domains. Our strong academia-industry partnerships provide students with real-world exposure and global competitiveness," Dr Kathiravan Kannan, Director, SRM Group of Institutions, Ramapuram, Chennai and Tiruchirappalli told news agency ANI. Stay informed with the latest business news, updates on bank holidays and public holidays . AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
The Hindu
10-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Karnataka to reduce fee for engineering courses with low enrolment in government and aided colleges to attract students
The Karnataka government has decided to reduce the fees for civil, mechanical, automobile, and other engineering courses with low enrollment in government and aided engineering colleges, to attract students. The issue was raised in a recent meeting chaired by Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar with private engineering college managements. Private engineering colleges agreeing to charge lower fees specified in the consensual agreement with the government have been instructed to inform the government before the option entry round of the Common Entrance Test (CET) counselling. Due to lack of job opportunities and the popularity of computer-related engineering courses, basic engineering courses such as civil, mechanical, electrical, and automobile are losing sheen over the years. The number of students enrolling in these courses has fallen, and many private colleges have stopped the courses. In 2024-25, out of the total 5,723 government quota civil engineering seats, only 2,883 were filled. Out of the total 5,977 mechanical engineering seats, only 2,783 seats were filled. However, out of the total 18,794 computer science seats available, 18,157 were filled, leaving only 637 seats vacant. 'Civil, mechanical, electrical, automobile and other courses are basic courses of engineering, and these need to be retained. Due to various reasons, students are not enrolling in these courses in large numbers. In addition, it has come to the notice of the government that some students, even though they want to enrol, are being deprived of the courses as they are unable to pay the prescribed fee. Currently, the annual fee in government engineering colleges is ₹48,000, and a further reduction is being considered. This will not only benefit students but also increase enrolment. This issue is still under discussion and a final decision has not been taken yet,' said Dr. Sudhakar. 'If private engineering colleges agree to reduce the fee for specified courses with low enrolment, it is mandatory to display that fee structure on the Karnataka Examinations Authority (KEA) portal. The colleges have been told to decide on this before the option entry round of the CET counseling,' the Minister said. Extended round will be conducted The government has decided to fill all government quota seats in private engineering colleges through the KEA this year and has decided to conduct an extended round of counselling till the last date of engineering admissions scheduled by the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). 'Previously, all the government quota seats remaining unfilled after the mop-up round were surrendered to private colleges. These seats were converted into management quota seats, and the respective colleges used to fill them. However, last year, since not all the seats were filled, the college managements returned thousands of seats to the KEA and requested that they be filled. In this context, this year, an extended round of counselling will be conducted, and all the seats will be filled through the KEA. Then, 10 days before the AICTE deadline for admissions, we will surrender the remaining seats to the colleges. Those seats will be converted into management quota seats and the colleges will fill them,' Dr. Sudhakar said.
The Hindu
07-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Private engineering colleges charging exorbitant fees for BBA and BCA courses, in violation of VTU order, allege students and parents
Despite Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU) guidelines capping the fees for Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) and Bachelors in Computer Applications (BCA) offered in engineering colleges, parents and students have alleged that many colleges have been charging several times beyond the prescribed fee cap. While VTU has capped the fees for these courses at private engineering colleges at ₹50,000, several private engineering colleges are charging as high as ₹2.5 lakh to ₹3 lakh for these courses. Many have pointed out that this is much higher than fees fixed for government quota engineering seats in private colleges, fixed at ₹1.7 lakh for 2024-25. Earlier, engineering colleges were not allowed to offer BBA and BCA courses. But the All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) permitted engineering colleges with good infrastructure including buildings, teaching staff and other resources to offer these courses from 2024-25. Since admissions to these courses are not done through the Common Entrance Test (CET), many colleges are taking students through college-level exams. Following complaints of the unregulated fee structure for these courses at private engineering colleges, VTU, to which all engineering colleges in the State are affiliated, issued two orders over the past week capping the fee for these courses. As per these orders, the annual registration and other fees have been capped at ₹5,020, and tuition fees for Karnataka and non-Karnataka students capped at ₹45,000 and the same capped at ₹50,000 for foreign nationals and Non Residential Indian (NRI) students. 'I have decided to admit my son for a BCA course in a prestigious engineering college in the city. He has also scored good marks in the internal examination conducted by the college. However, the college has prescribed a fee of ₹2.5 lakh, which is outrageous. If you question the high fee, the management is asking us to go elsewhere,' complained Venkatesh, a parent from Bengaluru. 'An engineering college working under a prestigious private university is asking students to pay ₹2.3 lakh for a BBA course this year. Private engineering colleges are charging more fees for BBA and BCA courses than engineering courses. The government should bring fee regulation to degree courses as well. This will help poor and meritorious students,' urged Shashank N., a student from Bengaluru.
