Engineering Course Fees Reduced in Kerala! -Some random thoughts

TOI dated June 26 ,2015 

Management Fees is becoming lower than Merit seats. A great phenomenon happens  in Kerala! 

It is good for needy students who are academically inclined. But reducing fees could also mean lower quality resources like educational tools, teachers and other facilities.

But with 157 Engineering colleges and 1000s of other training and educational institutions in this small piece of land, it becomes too difficult for a student to choose the right college or right course. The reason for reduced interest towards Engg courses started last year onwards, due to rising unemployment, low fresher salary, unemployability and lower quality of education despite the high fees charged. 

Of course, in this tough competition,  for college management, something is better than nothing! And they need atleast 75 percent seats to be filled in order to manage the operational expenses.  But one of the silent sufferers of this could be the teachers of such colleges..With increasing workload, reducing salary or benefits, competition for survival and above all, trying to teach a bunch of students who have purchased a course  will definitely lead to more stress for the teaching community.

The attitude issue is quite relevant because there is a great difference in teaching someone who is yearning to learn and someone who demands that they have paid fees and hence are free to do whatever they want in the class!! Even if they indulge in semi-criminal activities in the college, the management will be forced to retain them!  For eg: In a recent malayalam movie, the hero is seen as having alcohol while in the classroom and engaging in violence in college  and its shown as a glorified act which can be easily emulated by the current generation of students! 

The other set who will suffer is the employers, who will have to choose from students who are not inclined towards Engineering, but will be forced to become Engineers or end up becoming unemployable Engineers. 

So, just like the Nursing Education bubble busted , Is the Engineering Education Bubble going to burst soon? 

Saying this, I should also comment that , if the "Make in India" bandwagon happens as per schedule, there is immense possibility for Engineers in the coming years - especially the  core sector Enggs.  

Engineering is a wonderful field of study, which should be offered as premium programs only, based on demand -supply analysis. Probably, the Govt or College Managements can think of converting the low faring Engineering colleges to some other Educational institutions or even industries or Start up Incubators. 

CeeVee 

P.S: all are my personal opinion on the subject only. 

SIX TIPS BEFORE GIVING OPTION FOR ENGINEERING COURSES

Yes, its that season of time when students as well as parents panic the most. – Choosing the right Engineering course. So, here are some tips to your course and college selection.

1.       Firstly, do you have Engineering Aptitude?:  Yes, you may have cleared the entrance test easily. But,the entrance test need not be considered as Engineering aptitude! The most important question to be answered is whether you actually have an interest to become a technologist. Mathematical aptitude and interest in Technology could be a sign of the same.

2.       Do your research : Ofcourse, its your life and the first major decision. So, why don’t you do your homeworks properly? Put in sincere efforts to understand about the field. 

3.       Talk to Seniors :  Finding an Engineering graduate who is well placed (in Kerala or outside) is not  a difficult task. Even there are many within your family ! Talk to them , what is their career all about? Do you think, you can do the same work in a few years of time? Do you get excited doing that all through your life as a major activity ?

4.       Decide your stream:  Now that there are seats aplenty within the State, students can be particular about the stream they want to choose. Selecting the right stream as per your interest and aptitude helps in the first level screening.  Don’t just choose the stream based on placement trends. Choose it again based on your comfort level with the subjects. Go to  a library and  run through the books of different streams. Which books excite you? Choose that stream.

5.       Selecting the College: Most of us select a college depending on how near we are to our home. But wait, please check the following as well.

a.       Faculty Quality: How many PhDs are there in the faculty list? How many MTechs? Teacher quality is an important criteria, which we normally place the least importance and make the mistake. Don’t forget, “Mata, Pita, Guru, Daivam”. Premium institutes like IITs have almost all their faculty with Phds.

b.      Employability and Placement: How many students got placement? Which are the top hirers? Are there consistent employability development programs given by the institute?

c.       Affiliation and Accreditation: Now that all Engineering courses in State is affiliated to KTU, Kerala state students need not get too confused. However, those considering an outside state Engineering education, please check this as well. UGC and AICTE websites has the list  of accredited Universities and Insittutions. NBA Accreditation is also important.

d.      Facilities And Industry Exposure : Does the college have adequate labs? Do they conduct seminars with experts from outside? Are there internship possibilities with industries?

e.      Fees & Affordability : Your Parents are funding your education. So, how much are they ready to invest? Does your course selection bring too much of financial burden?

6.       Visit: Once you zero-in on two or three colleges you want to study , take the effort of visiting them. Go see the campus, talk to faculty, talk to students there. Do you get excited to be in that place everyday for the next four years?  

     Hope the above tips helped you! But, remember, choosing to become an engineer is easier. But becoming a sought –after Engineer is not that easy! You may join in any college, but its your effort as well which will decide your future ! There are many IIT dropouts and there are Scholars and innovators who come out of hitherto unheard smaller Engineering colleges from rural areas! So, All is Well !! 

Best wishes
CeeVee

Feel free to post any queries or email your career matters to Chandra@4tunefactory.in