With more than 3300 Engineering colleges across the country and new private colleges coming up every year, graduation has definitely become synonymous to Engineering in our country. The students here pursue engineering first and then figure out what to do with their lives. There is no denying the fact that most of the private institutions are producing mass engineers with no quality that would hardly contribute to the development of the nation. The fact that a six hour exam decides whether or not you will receive quality education is of grave concern. Following are the claims that most private engineering colleges make and the harsh realities behind them. The article has a touch of humor however I hope the importance of the issue can’t be denied.
Claim: Best Ranking by a local newspaper.
Reality: Nobody would have heard the name of the college till they flunked the IIT-JEE exam and searched the list of private engineering colleges in India on Google where the college was listed 75th. At times even the people living in the same city are unaware of the existence of the college.
Claim: 99.7% Placement Record
Reality: As a matter of fact, even the best Engineering Institute in the country does not claim to have a placement record as high as that. Out of the 1.5 million engineering graduates in our country that pass out every year, 20-33% run the risk of not getting a job at all. Most of the students that get placed work for mass recruiters for low paid wages. These wages are not even enough to sustain themselves, leave alone their families who sacrifice so much in order to pay the capitation money high fees. In fact college fees shoot up more than three times the rate of inflation in the last 30 years( source: google) The figures might be scary but this is the harsh reality that every person who aspires to pursue engineering in India must understand.
Claim: Excellent Faculty
Reality: Most of the professors in the college are graduates from similar private engineering colleges. Finding no alternate career, they chose to teach in an engineering college that pays them well. Air conditioned offices are an added incentive. They have no will to shape careers or futures, their prime goal is speak continuously for 50 minutes and escape as many doubts as they can. Subjects are hardly taught in the will that they are meant to be.
Claim: Admissions purely based on JEE rankings / board percentages
Reality: If your father is influential and has contacts with the management or if you are rich enough to pay donations, getting a seat in the college is a cakewalk for you. Almost half of the seats are reserved for the ‘management quota’ and the ‘NRI quota’. Don’t be surprised if the people who study in your class are the ones who didn’t even appear for the JEE exam.
Claim: World Class Facilities
Reality: The wi-fi range is limited to a few meters where you’d find the maximum crowd of your college. Air conditioners work only when it is the founder’s day or when the companies visit the colleges for placement. The laboratories have equipments that will make you wonder if they have been used for decades. The libraries have a limited number of books that have been issued and re issued, leaving them in a pathetic condition. The college management is too busy lining their pockets to take out any time for the maintenance of the college.
Claim: Wide range of co curricular activities
Reality: There are 7-8 hubs in the college which have been inactive ever since they were formed. The college ground comes to use once in a year at the time of the college fest. The college administration has no issues if you take an initiative, participate in inter college events and make the college proud till you ask them for attendance! That is when things begin to get ugly for you 😛
I hope that these conditions change for the better in the coming years. Every student deserves quality education irrespective of his ability to solve physics questions faster than others. Share this article if you agree !
