Gujarat Technological University

EC

All-India Council for Technical Education

Association of Self-Financed Institutes

Head of the department

Chancellor

Not more than five years ago, students used to queue up outside engineering colleges to seek admission into electronics and communication (EC) (degree and diploma) courses. Now, with dwindling placement opportunities in the field and colleges located in remote areas, the popularity of the courses is waning.(GTU) has received closure applications for courses from 16 diploma and degree engineering colleges -- and eight of these are forcourses.That amounts to 50 per cent of course-closure applications received by GTU till February 19, the first deadline set for submission of such applications by. It is not only the engineering colleges that are bearing the brunt of a bleak placement scene. In all, 30 technical institutes have applied to the GTU with requests for shutting down altogether, discontinuing certain courses or reducing intake from the academic year 2015. Of the eight degree engineering colleges that have sent applications, five have sought closure of courses and three, reduction in intake of students. Similarly, among the diploma engineering colleges, 11 have applied for closure of courses and three for reduction in seats.Two MBA institutes and two pharmacy colleges offering degree courses have applied for shutting down. Three MBA schools and a pharmacy college have applied for reduction in seats, citing less than adequate number of students. “None of the applications is from institutes in Ahmedabad. The colleges that have sent us applications are mostly from rural areas like Modasa, Matar, Mehsana and Kutch, to mention a few. Students do not opt for colleges in remote areas as many do not have adequate infrastructure, teachers and other facilities,” said an official at GTU requesting anonymity.Janak Khandwala, president of(SFI) in Gujarat, said that the number of students seeking admission to engineering course has decreased because of growing interest in pure sciences and paramedical courses. “The main reason for poor interest in EC course is pathetic placements. Students get only Rs 8,000 to Rs 10,000 a month. There is a huge gap in demand and supply when it comes to colleges and students,” he said, explaining reason behind closure of EC course. Recently released figures by the AICTE had revealed that eight MBA institutes had closed down in Gujarat in 2014-15.The reasons cited for the same were lack of vibrant job opportunities and oversupply of institutes compared to student demand. The fate of degree pharmacy courses is no different in Gujarat. Despite housing 40 per cent of pharmaceutical industries from India, students clearing BPharm and MPharm do not find lucrative jobs.at LJ Institute of Pharmacy, Sheeraj Shah, said that the location of the institute also plays a crucial role. “Institutes in big cities will not find problem in getting students. Institutes in rural areas find very few takers.These institutes do not get good teachers as most teachers would not like to shift from big cities to semiurban or rural areas,” Shah said. He also attributed the downward trend in pharmacy to a dull job market. He said, on an average, a degree course student gets a salary package of Rs 60,000 to Rs 70,000 per annum. After postgraduation, they are offered Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 2 lakh per year. With AICTE extending the course closure application deadline to February 27, more applications are likely, said GTU officials.ViceAkshai Aggarwal did not respond to calls made by Mirror.