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Time of India
6 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Engineers are underpaid and unemployed: Is engineering obsession breaking its promise?
A city that brims with ambition and reeks of measured ranks, thousands of teenagers inhale a single aspiration: to crack the code of elite engineering institutions. Their eyes bear the weight of sleepless nights, their shoulders stoop under the burden of societal expectations, and their futures are pinned entirely on one unforgiving dream. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now No, this isn't a scripted episode of Kota Factory; this is the real Kota, a city where thousands of students arrive from every corner of the country chasing the same relentless goal. We know too well that in India, the dream of becoming an engineer is sold as life's ultimate purpose. Land a seat at a prestigious institute, and you've supposedly secured your destiny. Engineering is not just a profession; it is seen as a status symbol, and in many regions of the country, the only acceptable career path. But let's pull back the curtains. What lies behind the stage? Are engineers truly living the lives they once envisioned, the lives they traded their youth and lakhs of rupees to attain? The fortified walls of the so-called 'secure' engineering career are showing deep cracks. The numbers speak for themselves. Engineers today are underpaid, underemployed, and, in many cases, unemployed. Starting salaries remain stagnant at ₹3 to ₹4 lakh per annum, according to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), the same figures that stood over a decade ago. While students are often scapegoated for falling short, the deeper malaise lies in India's obsession with engineering, and in the institutions and coaching factories that mass-produce degrees while failing to deliver meaningful training or real-world readiness. So, where did it go wrong? Coaching centres failing to deliver Students from all the corners of the country mushroom to the coaching centres with a fond hope of securing a coveted engineering degree. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But what often gets overlooked is the visible disparity in the foundational education. Unlike their counterparts in Tier 1, who benefit from better infrastructure, qualified teachers, and abundant learning resources, these students arrive with systemic disadvantages that run deep. Yet, most coaching centres adopt a one-size-fits-all approach, offering a uniform curriculum that ignores these academic disparities. Instead of levelling the playing field, this standardised model only amplifies the divide, placing already advantaged students on a pedestal while pushing those from underserved backgrounds even further behind. The result? A system that rewards privilege and punishes potential. Curse of obsession India's ultimate obsession with engineering stemmed from noble intentions. It was a ticket out of poverty, a gateway to global jobs, a badge of meritocracy. But as it is said, excess of everything is bad. But, over time, this pursuit translated into blind faith for the profession. Coaching centers were flocked, private colleges proliferated, and students with neither aptitude nor interest were funneled into engineering pipelines. A crisis in numbers: The rise of the unemployed engineer Between 2019 and 2024, India sanctioned 6.49 million undergraduate engineering seats, but only 4.55 million were filled, leaving 1.94 million seats vacant—a staggering 30% shortfall, according to data from the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) (ThePrint). Data speaks volumes, and it does not indicate a happy picture. Between 2019-20 and 2022-23, only 1.64 million out of 3.43 million undergraduate engineering students secured campus placements, a mere 47.7% placement rate. When extended to all levels of engineering education, diploma, UG, and PG, only 41.4% found jobs. An uneven battlefield Reels and memes regarding engineers' salary and growth opportunities have been ubiquitous on social media. But it is not universal. Top-tier graduates from IITs, BITS, and select NITs are still landing jobs in FAANG companies or product-based MNCs at ₹20–30 lakh packages. But these roles are few and hyper-selective. The camera shifts towards the students graduating from Tier 2 and 3 colleges, showing a picture of despair. While the elite are headhunted, the majority jostle for mass hiring roles with little room for negotiation. In a nutshell: It's not an equal market. It never was. Oversupply vs. skill deficit: What is to be blamed? Market saturation, unskilled employees are always the best reasons to cover the situation. However, we need to peel off the layers to dig out the truth. India's engineering pipelines are not just overcrowded; it is also misaligned. A report by TeamLease notes that while 60% of engineering graduates are 'technically employable,' only 45% meet actual industry standards, and just 10% of the 1.5 million engineers graduating this year are expected to find employment What is the reason behind the mismatch? The curriculum in the private colleges remains outdated, faculty shortages exist, and hands-on training is not provided adequately, especially in Tier 2 and 3 cities. Another major reason is that numerous students disinterested in the field fail to imbibe the related skills essential to the domain. The human cost The headlines may speak and the numbers may echo their truths, but at the heart of it all is a human being. A student. A teenager, barely 15 or 16, already grappling under the weight of expectations. First comes the pressure to crack the entrance to a coveted engineering college, and before the dust settles, they're thrust into yet another race, the relentless pursuit of a place in the corporate world. For the average engineering fresher, the emotional toll is staggering. Four years of rigorous study, high parental expectations, crushing loans, and yet, a ₹25,000/month salary, delayed joining dates, or worse, no offer letter at all. The disillusionment is seeping in. Reddit threads are flooded with stories of graduates switching to skilled trades, preparing for government exams, or abandoning engineering altogether. The mental health crisis is real, and the loss of trust in the education-to-employment pipeline is profound. What next? Blaming the torn fabric and seeing through it is easy, but stitching it demands courage. India does not need fewer engineers, it needs better engineers, trained in line with global demands, equipped for emerging and evolving technologies. The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 offers a silver lining with its push for multidisciplinary learning and skill integration, but the implementation remains slow and fragmented. Industry too must step up, investing not just training but in reimagining hiring metrics beyond GPAs and rote memorisation. Most crucially, families and students must start asking harder and essential questions: Am I prepared for what comes after the degree? It is time to shrug off the myth that engineering is the ultimate professional destiny. It is a career, one that must be chosen with clarity, not compulsion. The great Indian engineering dream is not dead, it is breathing with wounds. It is a high time for a hard reset, and for the nation to change its lens. Because behind every 3 lakh salary and every unfulfilled dream, there is a story of misplaced ambition, systemic neglect, and a dream sold too cheaply. Until we fix that, Kota's factories will keep producing graduates, perhaps not necessarily engineers.
The Hindu
22-07-2025
- General
- The Hindu
All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) portal launched
The Kerala State Higher Education Council has informed the launch of the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE -2024-25) being conducted by the Ministry of Education. According to an official release, universities, colleges and other higher education institutions in the State have been directed to upload various details including student enrollment, examination results and financial information in the AISHE portal ( Participation in AISHE is mandatory for accreditation, funding and scholarships.
The Hindu
10-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
HEIs still struggle to attract foreign students, pushing down global rankings
Indian higher education institutions have improved their position in global rankings in-part by beefing up research and earning employer respect for the degrees offer. But poor foreign student enrollment continues to hamper a significant boost to their rankings. According to the All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE) 2021-22 report, the total number of foreign nationals enrolled in Indian universities or colleges was 46,878 across 170 countries. This was a slight decline from 49,348 in 2019-20, likely due to Covid. Officials in the Ministry of Education say this climbed to 64,000 in 2023-24. In the past academic year, a total of 72,218 international students from over 170 countries have enrolled in the academic year 2024-25 in India. While these figures are impressive, there's a long way to go say experts who point out that the lower turnout of foreign nationals studying in India is largely due to lack of quality, flexibility and infrastructure in the country's educational institutions. 'Attracting international students is quite a different market where the institutions work hard to figure in the ranking among other premier institutions in the world. The ranking is a flawless system as our institutions must be ranked at better positions in various metrics. It plays a vital role among international students as they can get into better ranked institutions at a reasonable cost than opting for lower ranked colleges,' says Dr Vijender Singh Chauhan, a professor at Delhi University. Prof. Chauhan added that the educational institutions need to focus on elevating their academic quality and providing space employment opportunities to attract more international students. 'We have to increase our spending to influence the perception, ensure high quality and job employability at the end of courses. It cannot be achieved in a decade as it is a long journey,' says Dr Vijender Singh Chauhan, a professor at Delhi University. Ground report Lack of job prospects for foreign students in India remains a key driver behind the continued lukewarm interest in Indian HEIs. Sayedehfatemeh Mirhosseiniamiri chose to study in India after she was introduced to Vipassana meditation technique back in Iran. She likes India as it is a stable country providing affordable education. 'The education system in Iran and India are different as it is more practical here. But I was expecting more extra curricular activities during the course. People are friendly in India but only superficially. I share bonding with other international students. As a psychology student I understand that Indians culturally restrict themselves from mingling with others,' says Sayedehfatemeh Mirhosseiniamiri, an Iranian and a final year psychology student at St. Philomena's College in Mysuru. However, she has not considered India for her post graduation as job employability is not guaranteed in India. 'I am yet to decide in which country I want to pursue my masters. I understand that India is overpopulated and available jobs are insufficient for the existing population,' says Mirhosseiniamiri. Undergraduate programs accounted for three-fourth of the foreign students population, postgaduate some 16%. Daniel Bugula's friend recommended him to study in India. He is from Congo in Africa studies MBA in Jain university Bengaluru. He says, 'The transition to English from French was very difficult in the beginning. I had to learn the language and also the Indian accent to understand my classes. I had a teacher who spoke English with a British accent which I could comprehend easily. I learnt my syllabus by asking more questions with the teachers.' He narrates that the main difference in the education system between Congo and India is that over 100 students share a single room, where space is cramped, in Congo. 'But in India, we are given a small space in the university to manage ourselves,' Bugula says. 'It is tough to receive a work permit in India. It is a cumbersome procedure involving more paperwork. I will go back to my country after finishing my post graduation,' says Bugula. Current status According to the AISHE report, the foreign countries with the largest contribution to the Indian student fraternity at the undergraduate level are Nepal with a cumulative figure of 13,126 students, Afghanistan with 3,151, USA with 2,893, Bangladesh with 2,606 and UAE with 2,287. The AISHE report suggests that there are 13 programmes having an enrolment of more than 1,000 foreign students. Of which, 11,461 foreign students are enrolled in Bachelor of Technology which is followed by Bachelor of Business Administration with a total of 3,346 students and Bachelor of Science with 3,289 students. The traditional hubs such as Singapore, Australia and other European countries which serve as favourite destinations among Indian students have sent negligible numbers of students to India. In 2021-22, the number of foreign students who undertook their post graduation in India from the following countries are Singapore with 17 students, Switzerland with 15 students, France with 20 students and Germany with 11 students. 'The main factors that influence foreign nationals getting themselves enrolled in Madras Christian College are existing cultural diversity in campus, liberal education system and green environment. We have established an innovation hub which is the first of its kind in arts and science colleges. In the academic year 2024-25, nearly 64 reputed international universities visited us. We had signed several MoUs including students and faculty exchange programmes,' says S Samuel Rufus, Associate Professor of English, Madras Christian College. Statewise performance Although Karnataka tops the list of states in enrolling the maximum number of foreign students in undergraduate programmes, it is the only destination that has witnessed a dip when compared among the top 5 states soon after COVID. Karnataka which figures in the top five States continuously between 2019 and 2022, showing the highest intake of foreign nationals, registered a dip from 8,274 in 2019-20 to 6,004 students in 2021-22. Likewise, the number of foreign nationals studying post graduation in Karnataka registered a drop soon after COVID. 'A significant number of private institutions available in Karnataka is one of the reasons for the highest intake of foreign nationals. The dip in numbers after COVID is due to increasing competitiveness in the market. The premium institutions have started establishing their colleges in the neighbouring countries which opens up opportunities of receiving good education at an affordable rate,' says Prof. Chauhan. The Madras Christian College also witnessed a dip in the number of foreign nationals soon after the COVID. 'We were shocked and recovered soon after the ease of international restrictions across the world. Currently we have students from Indonesia, Ireland, Germany, United Kingdom and South Korea,' Mr. Rufus says. Nearly a decade ago, the college undertook visits to international universities to encourage collaboration with them. 'This has changed now as we are consistently ranked among the top 15 premier institutions in India. Things are picking up here as education is affordable when compared with the other western countries like the U.S. We provide very good education along with affordable housing and healthcare here,' Mr. Rufus says. Push by UGC In a push to boost India's global standing in higher education, the University Grants Commission (UGC) has urged Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) across the country to ramp up efforts to attract international students, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP). UGC Secretary Prof. Manish R. Joshi called on universities and colleges to implement the Commission's 2022 guidelines, which allow for the creation of up to 25% 'supernumerary seats', on top of the existing enrolment, for foreign nationals in undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The move, he said, is aimed at fostering a more inclusive and globally oriented academic environment, positioning India as a preferred destination for higher education. Prof. Joshi said that the internationalisation of higher education is one of the essential aspects of the NEP and many Indian HEls are now committed to increasing their global outreach. The 2022 guidelines were introduced to streamline the admission process for international applicants, enabling HEIs to consider candidates based on the equivalence of their entry qualifications, thereby simplifying procedures and widening access. Internship and industry linkages Several HEIs are forging corporate partnerships to offer internships and placement support to foreign students to improve enrollment and retention. These internships often became a gateway to longer-term employment. The Indian Institute of Petroleum and Energy (IIPE), Visakhapatnam, has recently introduced a global internship programme, which provides research and internship opportunities to foreign students. Under the initiative, the institute covers 75% of the total expenses while the remaining 25% would be managed by the students. Aligning with the trend, premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) are entering strategic partnerships with major corporate players to strengthen industry-academia collaboration and enhance career opportunities for students. At IIT (BHU), a recent tie-up with Hindalco Industries Ltd. has paved the way for a six-month, research-focused internship programme for students. Similarly, IIT Tirupati has signed a memorandum of understanding with Kia Motors India, establishing a comprehensive framework for cooperation. As part of the agreement, students will have access to internship opportunities that come with the potential for Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs), providing a direct pathway to employment with the automotive major. There is a provision for international academic partnerships with Korean universities, which includes student and faculty exchange programmes and joint research initiatives.
The Hindu
29-06-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Bihar education system is ruined, the worst in the country under JD(U)-BJP government: Digvijay Singh
Ahead of the Bihar Assembly election due in October-November, Rajya Sabha member and senior Congress leader Digvijay on Sunday (June 29, 2025) slammed the Janata Dal (United)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the State for 'ruining' the education system in the State. Mr. Singh, while addressing the media at the party office in Patna, said that the government schools in the State are in a poor condition and the dropout rate is highest in the country. The schools don't have electricity, teachers, computers and libraries. He shared data from the school education report, UDISE+ 2023–24, of the Modi government at the Centre. Expressing regret, Mr. Singh said that this is the worst performance in the whole country. He said that out of 78,120 government schools, 16,529 still do not have electricity and only 5,057 have computers, a mere 6.5%. 'There are 2,637 schools in Bihar where there is only one teacher, and 2.91 lakh students are enrolled in these schools. At the same time, there are 117 schools in the State where not even a single student is enrolled, yet 544 teachers are posted there. Bihar also has the highest school dropout rates: Primary (Classes 1–5): 8.9%, Upper Primary (Classes 6–8): 25.9%, Secondary (Classes 9–10): 25.63%,' Mr. Singh said. In budget 2025-26, the Bihar government claimed to have allocated ₹60,954 crore for education but the truth is that this money is lost to corruption, he alleged. '1.13 crore not enrolled for higher education' 'The BJP-JD(U) government has ruined Bihar's future in higher education as well. The recent report of AISHE 2021–22 (All India Survey on Higher Education) has once again exposed the plight of higher education in Bihar,' Mr. Singh said. Sharing data from the report, he pointed out that GER (Gross Enrolment Ratio) was 17.1%, i.e., the estimated population of the State in the age group of 18–23 years is 1.36 crore, but out of these, only 23.33 lakh are enrolled in undergraduate programmes. He said that it means 1.13 crore youth are deprived of higher education. 'Bihar has the lowest number of higher educational institutions per lakh population in the country, with a total of 37 universities, 1,092 colleges, 315 standalone institutions, totalling to 1,387 higher education institutions; but this number is very low for the population,' Mr. Singh said. The Congress leader also said that there are only seven colleges per one lakh population, against the national average is 30 colleges per lakh, which is the lowest in India. 'Future of youth being auctioned' Speaking on exam paper leaks in Bihar, Mr. Singh said that the future of the youth is being bid upon and the paper mafia is in cahoots with the government. 'In Bihar, under the patronage of the BJP-JD(U) government, a dirty business of scams is going on in government recruitments and competitive examinations. In the last seven years, more than 10 cases of exam paper leak have come to the fore in the State,' he said. The network of 'paper mafia' which is tarnishing the glorious legacy of education in Bihar is becoming increasingly active and the business of these mafias is worth thousands of crores, he said. Mr. Singh listed out rates fixed by the alleged paper mafia for every competitive exams: for NEET PG – ₹70-80 lakh, NEET UG – ₹30-40 lakh, banking exam (bank PO) – ₹15-20 lakh, police SI – ₹25 lakh and police constable – ₹10-15 lakh. Earlier in the day, he called on Congress ally Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad along with Congress leader Akhilesh Prasad Singh at Mr. Prasad's 10, Circular Road residence to enquire about his health.
Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Class XII board exam data for 2024 show science is no longer a boys' club
Data on 2024 Class XII board exams, released by the Ministry of Education, tell a story of quiet persistence: For the first time in a decade, more girls — 28.14 lakh — cleared the board exams in the science stream than in humanities — 27.24 lakh. These figures mark a powerful shift in academic and social dynamics. As an analysis of numbers from 25 school boards between 2010 and 2023 by this newspaper in September 2024 showed, only 38.2 per cent of students clearing science in 2010 were girls. By 2023, that number had climbed to 45.5 per cent, setting the stage for the 2024 breakthrough. The reversal of the long-standing gender tilt toward humanities is an affirmation that science — once seen as a male preserve — is being actively pursued by female students across the country. In a country aspiring to be a global leader in the knowledge economy, this is welcome news: Drawing on the scientific potential of half its population is not just desirable, it is essential. State-level results underscore the national picture. In Tamil Nadu, girls achieved a formidable 96.35 per cent science pass rate in 2024; in Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha, girls outperformed boys. This reshaping of ambition and possibility has been facilitated by growing parental encouragement and good-faith policy interventions such as the Vigyan Jyoti scholarship schemes for girls from disadvantaged backgrounds, and the CBSE's Udaan initiative, that helps underprivileged girls prepare for engineering and medical entrance exams through mentoring and financial aid. What happens when more girls enter higher education in STEM? According to the All India Survey on Higher Education 2021-22, women now make up 52.1 per cent of all students in science disciplines across undergraduate, postgraduate, MPhil, and PhD levels. At the undergraduate level, they constitute a little over 51 per cent of the total enrolment. In medicine, women are at par with men; in engineering and technology — fields where they have traditionally been a sliver — their representation has risen considerably. These numbers point to a future workforce that is likely to be more diverse, representative, and arguably, more innovative. The promise of these numbers, however, will continue to come up against the shadow of unequal realities unless it is met with deeper investment in infrastructure, mentorship networks, employment opportunities and safe spaces to learn and to linger in. Girls from rural areas and low-income households still face immense barriers that cap their ambitions: Lack of resources; unavailability of laboratories and equipment; a private study space, or simply, the right to stay in school. If this moment is to make room for long-term change, it must ensure that STEM dreams that have gotten off the block are not stalled midway.
