CHENNAI: Indian Institute of Technology-Kanpur chairman M Anandakrishnan has hit out at engineering colleges in Tamil Nadu, saying most of them did not encourage students to go beyond the syllabus and they ruined technical education . "If I had the authority, I would close down 50% of the engineering colleges in the state. They have ruined technical education. The colleges have become the playground of corrupt politicians," said professor Ananthakrishnan, who has served as vice-chancellor of Anna University.

He said he gets angry when he sees advertisements in newspapers saying that they will "coach" a student to pass or get high marks in engineering subjects.

Ananthakrishnan was speaking at a function at Anna University on Monday to release a book by former dean of postgraduate studies at Anna University P C Chandrasekaran . He lauded professor Chandrasekaran for showing the younger generation that they can not only learn new things but also share the knowledge they have gained.

"We must see if it is possible to have a new generation of students who will not just be satisfied with covering the syllabus, but whose curiosity will be piqued by subjects such as astronomy," he said.