Latest news with #AllIndiaCouncilforTechnicalEducation
Hans India
3 days ago
- Science
- Hans India
JNTUH to award over 92K degrees, 74 gold medals
Hyderabad: The Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU) – Hyderabad will confer honorary doctorate to Professor TG Sitharam, Chairman All India Council for Technical Education, during its XIII convocation on Tuesday. During the ceremony, around 74 gold medals will be presented to meritorious students. A total of 92,118 degrees – 77,559 Undergraduate, 13,063 Postgraduate, 950 Doctor of Pharmacy, 305 Doctor of Philosophy and 241 other degrees will be presented to successful students during the event. Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, who is also JNTU-Hyderabad Chancellor, will take part in the convocation and Professor Sitharam will deliver the convocation address. 'According to JNTUH officials, the University is in the process of revising the course curriculum and the syllabi of all UG and PG programmes in the form of R25 regulations, which will be applicable from the academic year 2025-26,' Professor Reddy said, adding that the main objective of the syllabus revision is to prepare industry need based curriculum that will enhance employability skills, 'A total of 791 students of JNTU-Hyderabad University colleges/units have been placed during campus interviews for the academic year 2024-25.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
1st batch of engg grads tutored in Marathi join the workforce
PUNE: Sufiya Sayyad, 22, is the first from her village Belwadi, in Pune district's Indapur taluka, to become a computer engineer; she is in fact the first learner from her village. Her father Mahamad Sayyad is a farm labourer who brings home between ₹300- ₹400 on good days, while her mother is a homemaker. Her classmate Vaibhav Indure, 23, is the son of a farmer, Ganesh Indure, from Shahajanpur village, in Beed district. While Sufiya's parents took a loan of ₹4 lakh to put her through engineering college, Vaibhav joined his college's earn-and-learn scheme, which he says 'not only helped him make productive use of free hours but also earn an hourly pay' to fund his tuition. Sufiya, Vaibhav and 64 others are the first batch of students, who having emerged from Marathi medium or semi-English medium state and zilla parishad schools, received their degrees from the Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PCCOE) yesterday – their social advancement an academic milestone from the college's Computer Engineering (Regional Language) Department that tutored students in Marathi, marking a major achievement in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Forty of the 66 graduates have found tech jobs through campus placements, with salaries between ₹5 to 10 lakh per annum – 'way beyond our dreams,' said one -- dispelling all scepticism about the employability of regional language-trained engineers. PCCOE was among 14 institutions across India to receive approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2021 to offer undergraduate engineering programmes in vernacular languages. It is the only institution in Maharashtra that was granted permission to initiate such a programme, to make technical education more inclusive. How the programme started 'Before the programme formally began, we conducted a pilot project on diploma students, teaching them core engineering subjects in Marathi for two weeks. The initiative included assessments and feedback,' said Rachana Patil, head of the Computer Engineering (Regional Language) Department. 'Most students appreciated the effort and found it beneficial, although they requested that the core textbooks remain in English.' Armed with insights from this pilot, the institute launched the in Marathi programme in July 2021, admitting 66 students through the state's Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell – the cut off for the course was above 96 per cent that year, which has now gone up to 98 per cent. The first batch included 51 boys and 15 girls from 20 districts across Maharashtra (who had a rudimentary knowledge of English), reflecting the wide reach and demand for such an initiative. At least 50 students are first generation learners emerging from the state's tribal belts, such as Chandrapur, and tribal parts of Nashik, Buldhana and Akola. 'A dedicated team of nine faculty members was appointed to teach this batch, and a detailed curriculum delivery strategy was drawn up. Initially, the team aimed to translate the entire syllabus into Marathi, but due to technical limitations and terminological challenges, they adopted a blended approach,' said Patil. Early challenges The admissions were not without challenges either: as this was the first-ever regional language engineering course in the state, families feared their children might face discrimination and lack of opportunities in the job market. Counselling and assurance of industry interaction and internships integrated into the curriculum, quelled their doubts. 'Their faith has now been rewarded, evidenced by over 60 per cent placements in the first batch from well-known start-ups and established companies,' added Patil. Sujata Kolhe, associate dean (academics), said offering conceptual clarity was key for the faculty. 'We realised that a full translation was not feasible due to the lack of equivalent terminology in Marathi for many technical terms. So, we decided to teach in Marathi while retaining the textbooks and core materials in English,' said Kolhe. It fell upon the instructors to simplify complex subjects explaining them in the mother tongue, all the while encouraging students to refer to English textbooks for industry-standard knowledge. 'The dual-medium approach helped students gain a deeper understanding without being overwhelmed by language barriers,' she added. Examinations were also conducted in a blended format, where students were allowed to write in both languages together. 'The endeavour was to offer them flexibility without compromising on academic rigour,' Kolhe added. First stepping stone Internships from the third year onwards allowed students hands-on experience about interactions in the real world, with mentors focussing on personality development, interview preparation and soft skills, helping students from the special batch gain confidence to compete with their English-speaking peers. 'We ensured they felt no less than any other graduate,' shared an alumni volunteer. Prajakta Maratkar, from Chandrapur district, shared her journey saying, 'My father is a state government employee; we are used to speaking and thinking in Marathi which filled me with anxiety when I went to college. But, over time, the faculty's support and teaching methods helped me, and others like me, not just survive but also succeed.' Her classmate Gauri Nimje from Yavatmal district, echoed similar sentiments, 'I come from a family of small farmers; my primary goal was to get a good job to support my family financially. We were apprehensive initially about how we would be treated in the industry. But during internships and interviews, we realized that what mattered were was our skills, not the language we studied in.' Prathamesh Theurkar, from Pimpri Chinchwad, who bagged the highest salary package of ₹10 lakh per annum, said, 'Studying in Marathi actually helped me grasp difficult concepts more easily. Equally helpful was the blend of languages in the exams and during interviews, as it allowed us to express our understanding clearly.' Dr Govind Kulkarni, director of PCCOE, termed this endeavour 'a landmark event in the landscape of Indian technical education'. 'Today, as we witness our first batch of graduates with outstanding placement records and industry recognition, it reaffirms our belief that regional language can be a powerful medium for technical excellence,' he said. Ashish Gawali, founder and CEO of ATX Labs, based in upscale Baner, Pune, said he was apprehensive when one of the students, Guruprasad Pathak, joined the company for an internship. 'We were curious how his background would amalgamate with a fast-paced tech environment. However, within weeks it became clear that he had both the technical depth and the right attitude we look for in our team members. Guruprasad quickly stood out with clarity of concepts, eagerness to learn, and ability to apply knowledge in practical product development. We gave him a key responsibility on one of our flagship products, and he handled it with professionalism, insight, and maturity well beyond his years. Naturally, when it was time to expand our team, hiring him full-time was an easy decision,' said Gawali. Moment of pride On Saturday, some of the parents gathered at the campus to celebrate their children's successes. A beaming Ganesh Sunderrav Indure, Vaibhav's father, said: 'He is the first in our family who has pursued degree-level education. He had the spark and we let him pursue his interest. All subsequent decisions were taken by him independently.' Vaibhav, who was placed at Encora, an information technology (IT) company, said, 'Every hour I worked as part of the Earn and Learn scheme was a lifeline – it made me disciplined and every subject I studied brought me closer to my dream. My journey proves that with hard work and the right opportunities, anything is possible.' Mahammad Sayyad, Sufiya's father, recalled how his daughter would study under a single dim light 'not ever complaining'. 'I work on someone else's land and barely earn enough to make ends meet. She made every rupee of the loan we took count,' he said. 'There were days when even affording a bus pass felt like a luxury, but I never let my circumstances define my future. Every semester I topped was a silent answer to every doubt and struggle we faced. Completing my engineering degree is not just my achievement, it's a victory for every girl in my village who dares to dream,' said Sufiya.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Engineering change with mother tongue
Sufiya Sayyad, 22, is the first from her village Belwadi, in Pune district's Indapur taluka, to become a computer engineer; she is in fact the first learner from her village. Her father Mahamad Sayyad is a farm labourer who brings home between ₹300- ₹400 on good days, while her mother is a homemaker. Her classmate Vaibhav Indure, 23, is the son of a farmer, Ganesh Indure, from Shahajanpur village, in Beed district. While Sufiya's parents took a loan of ₹4 lakh to put her through engineering college, Vaibhav joined his college's earn-and-learn scheme, which he says 'not only helped him make productive use of free hours but also earn an hourly pay' to fund his tuition. Sufiya, Vaibhav and 64 others are the first batch of students, who having emerged from Marathi medium or semi-English medium state and zilla parishad schools, received their degrees from the Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering (PCCOE) yesterday – their social advancement an academic milestone from the college's Computer Engineering (Regional Language) Department that tutored students in Marathi, marking a major achievement in the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. Forty of the 66 graduates have found tech jobs through campus placements, with salaries between ₹5 to 10 lakh per annum – 'way beyond our dreams,' said one -- dispelling all scepticism about the employability of regional language-trained engineers. PCCOE was among 14 institutions across India to receive approval from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in 2021 to offer undergraduate engineering programmes in vernacular languages. It is the only institution in Maharashtra that was granted permission to initiate such a programme, to make technical education more inclusive. How the programme started 'Before the programme formally began, we conducted a pilot project on diploma students, teaching them core engineering subjects in Marathi for two weeks. The initiative included assessments and feedback,' said Rachana Patil, head of the Computer Engineering (Regional Language) Department. 'Most students appreciated the effort and found it beneficial, although they requested that the core textbooks remain in English.' Armed with insights from this pilot, the institute launched the in Marathi programme in July 2021, admitting 66 students through the state's Centralized Entrance Test (CET) Cell – the cut off for the course was above 96 per cent that year, which has now gone up to 98 per cent. The first batch included 51 boys and 15 girls from 20 districts across Maharashtra (who had a rudimentary knowledge of English), reflecting the wide reach and demand for such an initiative. At least 50 students are first generation learners emerging from the state's tribal belts, such as Chandrapur, and tribal parts of Nashik, Buldhana and Akola. 'A dedicated team of nine faculty members was appointed to teach this batch, and a detailed curriculum delivery strategy was drawn up. Initially, the team aimed to translate the entire syllabus into Marathi, but due to technical limitations and terminological challenges, they adopted a blended approach,' said Patil. Early challenges The admissions were not without challenges either: as this was the first-ever regional language engineering course in the state, families feared their children might face discrimination and lack of opportunities in the job market. Counselling and assurance of industry interaction and internships integrated into the curriculum, quelled their doubts. 'Their faith has now been rewarded, evidenced by over 60 per cent placements in the first batch from well-known start-ups and established companies,' added Patil. Sujata Kolhe, associate dean (academics), said offering conceptual clarity was key for the faculty. 'We realised that a full translation was not feasible due to the lack of equivalent terminology in Marathi for many technical terms. So, we decided to teach in Marathi while retaining the textbooks and core materials in English,' said Kolhe. It fell upon the instructors to simplify complex subjects explaining them in the mother tongue, all the while encouraging students to refer to English textbooks for industry-standard knowledge. 'The dual-medium approach helped students gain a deeper understanding without being overwhelmed by language barriers,' she added. Examinations were also conducted in a blended format, where students were allowed to write in both languages together. 'The endeavour was to offer them flexibility without compromising on academic rigour,' Kolhe added. First stepping stone Internships from the third year onwards allowed students hands-on experience about interactions in the real world, with mentors focussing on personality development, interview preparation and soft skills, helping students from the special batch gain confidence to compete with their English-speaking peers. 'We ensured they felt no less than any other graduate,' shared an alumni volunteer. Prajakta Maratkar, from Chandrapur district, shared her journey saying, 'My father is a state government employee; we are used to speaking and thinking in Marathi which filled me with anxiety when I went to college. But, over time, the faculty's support and teaching methods helped me, and others like me, not just survive but also succeed.' Her classmate Gauri Nimje from Yavatmal district, echoed similar sentiments, 'I come from a family of small farmers; my primary goal was to get a good job to support my family financially. We were apprehensive initially about how we would be treated in the industry. But during internships and interviews, we realized that what mattered were was our skills, not the language we studied in.' Prathamesh Theurkar, from Pimpri Chinchwad, who bagged the highest salary package of ₹10 lakh per annum, said, 'Studying in Marathi actually helped me grasp difficult concepts more easily. Equally helpful was the blend of languages in the exams and during interviews, as it allowed us to express our understanding clearly.' Dr Govind Kulkarni, director of PCCOE, termed this endeavour 'a landmark event in the landscape of Indian technical education'. 'Today, as we witness our first batch of graduates with outstanding placement records and industry recognition, it reaffirms our belief that regional language can be a powerful medium for technical excellence,' he said. Ashish Gawali, founder and CEO of ATX Labs, based in upscale Baner, Pune, said he was apprehensive when one of the students, Guruprasad Pathak, joined the company for an internship. 'We were curious how his background would amalgamate with a fast-paced tech environment. However, within weeks it became clear that he had both the technical depth and the right attitude we look for in our team members. Guruprasad quickly stood out with clarity of concepts, eagerness to learn, and ability to apply knowledge in practical product development. We gave him a key responsibility on one of our flagship products, and he handled it with professionalism, insight, and maturity well beyond his years. Naturally, when it was time to expand our team, hiring him full-time was an easy decision,' said Gawali. Moment of pride On Saturday, some of the parents gathered at the campus to celebrate their children's successes. A beaming Ganesh Sunderrav Indure, Vaibhav's father, said: 'He is the first in our family who has pursued degree-level education. He had the spark and we let him pursue his interest. All subsequent decisions were taken by him independently.' Vaibhav, who was placed at Encora, an information technology (IT) company, said, 'Every hour I worked as part of the Earn and Learn scheme was a lifeline – it made me disciplined and every subject I studied brought me closer to my dream. My journey proves that with hard work and the right opportunities, anything is possible.' Mahammad Sayyad, Sufiya's father, recalled how his daughter would study under a single dim light 'not ever complaining'. 'I work on someone else's land and barely earn enough to make ends meet. She made every rupee of the loan we took count,' he said. 'There were days when even affording a bus pass felt like a luxury, but I never let my circumstances define my future. Every semester I topped was a silent answer to every doubt and struggle we faced. Completing my engineering degree is not just my achievement, it's a victory for every girl in my village who dares to dream,' said Sufiya.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
No AICTE approval: JNTU-H may scrap 9 integrated courses
1 2 Hyderabad: Sixteen years after introducing Integrated Dual Degree Programmes (IDP), JNTU College of Engineering, Hyderabad, in all likelihood, may discontinue them. It has now emerged that nine out of the ten IDP courses were launched without the mandatory approval of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). The decision has been forced by mounting complaints from students struggling to find jobs and scholarship eligibility. Since the inception of the courses in 2009, around 7,000 students have enrolled in the five-year UG+PG programmes. "I nearly lost out on an opportunity to join the merchant navy after clearing all the rounds as my course was not AICTE-approved," said Varun Kumar M, who studied electronics and electrical engineering and MBA as a five-year integrated course. Varun said he came to know about the lack of approval only after his varsity initially refused to issue a confirmation letter — as sought by his employer — stating that he had completed the integrated course. "About four days before joining the merchant navy as an electro-technical officer, I went to collect the confirmation letter. I was informed that the college couldn't give me one. Only after student leaders intervened did I get one, and thankfully it was accepted by officials," he said, adding that while he got his BTech degree after 3.5 years, the issue was mainly with his MBA, which he needed to justify gaps in his resume and to prove that he completed the integrated UG+PG in five years. Several students said they were unaware of the lack of regulatory body's approval. "I opted for this course as I wanted to study in the campus college. It never occurred to me to check if it had the required approvals. I don't intend to look for a govt job, so I don't think I will be affected," said Sri Varun Sarathi, a final-year student. College officials say the problem arises from a regulation that permits only one IDP course per college. Except for those who joined the mechanical engineering stream, which is AICTE-approved, students of other programmes are being denied even the GATE scholarship in their final year despite meeting eligibility criteria. "We began offering IDP courses alongside IITs in 2009, unaware that only one course could be approved per college," said Venkata Narasimha Reddy Guduru, principal of the college. "Recently, we started receiving complaints about students being questioned on the authenticity of their degrees and being denied GATE scholarships. We've decided to make one final attempt to secure AICTE approval. If it doesn't come through, we'll have to discontinue the courses. " A team from JNTUH, including vice-chancellor T Kishen Kumar Reddy, has left for Delhi to get the issue resolved, the college officials said.
New Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Alphons says he and P J Joseph facilitated entry of private professional colleges in Kerala
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: According to former top bureaucrat-turned-Union minister in the first Modi government, K J Alphons aka Alphons Kannanthanam, it was he and P J Joseph, the education minister in the E K Nayanar government in 2000, who surreptitiously facilitated the entry of private professional colleges in Kerala. In his latest book, 'The Winning Formula: 52 Ways to Change Your Life', Alphons reveals that as the then secretary of the higher education department, he went out of the way to issue no-objection certificates (NOCs) to 33 engineering colleges in the private sector and obtained the signature of the minister without knowledge of the cabinet. Later, when Nayanar got to know about it, according to Alphons, it was Joseph's threat to resign from cabinet if any disciplinary action was taken against the bureaucrat that rescued him. In the book, Alphons says he had in fact persuaded the then chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education to surpass the LDF government in issuing approvals. 'When I became the higher education department secretary in Kerala in 2000, over 2 lakh Kerala students were doing engineering, medicine, nursing and MBA outside the state, as there were far too few seats here. In 2000, in the state, there were only 300 seats for MBBS, 3,000 seats for engineering, 700 seats for nursing and a few hundred seats for MBA. I told P J Joseph: our children need to study here and for this we must open up. The minister said: I completely agree with you, but it will never ever be cleared by the LDF's Liaison Committee; it will never ever go up to the cabinet. I told him impetuously: Sir, don't our children have the right to study? I have a simple solution: since you cannot approve the idea without the sanction of the cabinet, I as secretary will issue the sanction,' Alphons writes.
