::  Related Stories  ::

Distance edu : AICTE permits MBA, MCA
NEW DELHI : The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has tightened the norms on offering technical education courses through a distance education mode.

In a circular sent to the state governments last week, the AICTE said that only MBA and MCA courses will be considered for recognition in the distance education mode if the respective institutes have the joint approval from the Distance Education Council (DEC), University Grants Commission (UGC) and the AICTE.

The AICTE has barred institutes from offering BE, B.Tech, Architecture, Town planning, Pharmacy, Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Applied Arts and Craft and post-graduate diploma in management courses through distance education mode.

“It is an AICTE policy not to recognise the qualifications acquired through distance mode at diploma, bachelor’s and master’s level in these fields. It now has a policy to consider only MBA and MCA through distance mode,” the circular notes.

The AICTE alerted students pursuing or aspiring to pursue technical education courses through distance education mode to check the approval by the joint committee of DEC, UGC and AICTE and made it clear that the MBA and MCA degrees acquired through the distance education mode without these approvals will not be considered for employment by the Centre and state governments.

Currently, several state universities including the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University-Hyderabad, are offering engineering courses through distance mode by setting up study centres in various districts.

AICTE changes accreditation rules and procedure

By Sanjiv Dube
NEW DELHI : The All India Council for Technical Education here is changing its accreditation norms and procedure from January 1, 2009 to make them compatible with international standards. The revised norms and procedures will apply to proposals received on and after January 1, according to a AICTE notification.

The changes have been necessitated by the Washington Accord which requires its signatory countries to follow uniform international benchmarks in technical education at undergraduate level. India, a provisional member of the Accord aspires to become a full-fledged member and hence needs to change its accreditation norms and procedures to make them compatible with global standard.

According to the revised norms and procedures introduced by the National Board of Accreditation (NBA) of the AICTE, the NBA inspection team would now check the overall placement success of the institute and satisfaction and comfort level of students. They will take into consideration the enrolment status, admission norms for the students and if the institute is able to fill up all or nearly all the seats for the programmes which it runs.

Facilities for career guidance and arrangement to assist students suffering from psychological disorders are also now part of the accreditation procedure. The team will visit the training and placement facilities of the institute and confirm that there is a full time officer or a faculty who devotes adequate time for overseeing this facility.

Up to now the NBA used to take into account among other things, the faculty, physical infrastructure, number of computers and books available in the institute providing technical education. A three-day visit to an institute by a NBA team of experts in relevant fields used to assess the applicant institute on a 1,000-point scale. For a three-year accreditation the score was to be 650 or more and for a five-year one the minimum score expected was 750.

As against this, the Washington Accord countries insisted on qualitative parameters focusing on the actual performance of the students in industries and research organisations.

The Washington Accord is an international accreditation agreement for professional engineering degrees, between the bodies responsible for accreditation in its signatory countries. Established in 1989, the signatories are Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Germany, India, Malaysia, Russia and Sri Lanka were inducted as provisional members of the Accord in 2007 and they have to live up to the international standards to qualify for full-status membership of the Accord.

In case India qualifies for full membership in 2009, the engineering degrees conferred upon by the Indian institutes would be considered at par with those from the developed nations and Indian students would not have to sit for a separate examination or enroll for training courses for getting jobs or practicing licenses in those countries. 
 

CMAT- '12 : 70,000 apply so far, test in 61 cities

MUMBAI : Around 70,000 management aspirants from across across the country have registered for the first national-level Common Management Admission Test (CMAT-2012), AICTE officiating chief told reporters on January 22.

The online test will be conducted from February 20-28 in 61 cities.

“The response for CMAT has been good given that the dates for test were announced after most management entrance examinations were conducted," Mantha said.

“From next year, CMAT will be conducted twice a year. This will enable students to choose the higher score of the two tests for admission to a B-school instead of waiting for another year," he added.

Those clearing CMAT can seek admission to any state government affiliated B-school, private management colleges or group of institutions running management courses approved by the AICTE.

The computer-based CMAT test will comprise four sections including quantitative techniques and data interpretation, logical reasoning, language comprehension and general awareness.

The three-hour test will be of 100 marks and each section will hold 25 marks. For each wrong answer, one mark will be deducted.

The examination is being widely speculated to be the only other exam after the Common Admission Test to help reduce stress faced by students due to multiple entrance management tests.

Education mafia gang-up to beat AICTE's CMAT

By Rajiv Shukla
NEW DELHI : The first Central Management Admission Test (CMAT) to be conducted by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) in February next year has triggered off a chain reaction of volatile criticism from established education mafia and some new private players who have ganged up here to torpedo CMAT in order to make a fast buck.

While the officiating AICTE chief S S Mantha is too soft to fight the opposition, the battered and demoralised AICTE is fighting a loosing battle making strategic retreats now and then.

To begin with, the common entrance test mafias have launched a high pressure publicity campaign in Delhi press to bring pressure on Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal who is already receiving brickbats in  Parliament and outside. The game plan is to force Sibal to postpone CMAT as has been done with the first National Eligibilitycum-Entrance Test (NEET) for undergraduate medical admissions.

The directive to reduce the multiplicity of common entrance test was given by a 11-judge Supreme Court bench way back on October 31, 2002 in the landmark T.M.A Pai Foundation v State of Karnataka case which went to the extent of saying that "any regulation framed in the national interest must necessarily apply to all educational institutions, whether run by the majority or the minority."

The bench stressed that "Such a limitation must necessarily be read into Article 30. The right under Article 30 (1) cannot be such as to override the
national interest or to prevent the government from framing regulations in that behalf," the apex court added.

However despite a thumping apex court order the country has been continuing with umpteen entrance examinations ranging from all-India CAT, MAT,  XAT and those razzle dazzle breed of state-level common entrance tests (CETs) like EAMCET, SEE et. al.

The CMAT will, in effect, reduce multiplicity of CETs by eliminating all state-level entrance exams but would not affect the all-India tests like IIMs' Common Admission Test (CAT), AIMA's Management Aptitude Test (MAT),  Xavier Admission Test (XAT) and AIEEE.

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) who used to have Joint Management Entrance Test (JMET) for admission to their management courses have scrapped JMET and have, instead, clubbed with the CAT conducted by the Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs). The admissions to postgraduate management programmes in six IITs at Bombay, Delhi, Kanpur, Roorkee, Kharagpur and Madras will henceforth be based on CAT scores.

The CMAT will be a new all-India admission test, a new entrant, in the multi-crore education business -- and this is why its competitors particularly private players like MAT are yelling themselves hoarse against the CMAT.

The Association of Indian Management Schools, a new private player has launched ATMA to claim its share in the CET pie taking the number of all-India admission tests to six.

Obviously the very first reaction to CMAT has come from All India Managament Association (AIMA) which has been in the CET field for nearly 20 years. Describing as "discriminatory", the AIMA has frantically opposed the CMAT.

In a letter to the Human Resource Development Ministry recently, the AIMA has said that the proposal to introduce and conduct a common management aptitude test (CMAT) exclusively in an online format is ill-suited to a big and diverse country like India. “While such a platform might work for more elite tests like CAT, which are mainly targeted at students in metros seeking admission to Indian Institutes of Management, conducting a common test of this nature in an only online format would only widen the digital divide.”

A large number of students who would avail themselves of this test would be from tier 2 and 3 towns, where accessibility to computers is limited; add to this connectivity, bandwidth and power issues. An online format will hurt the opportunities of many students from non-metros and less-connected areas. Instead of enhancing the scope and accessibility to management degrees, it will only end up being discriminatory, the letter said.

Educational Promotional Society of India, a Delhi-based assortment of some private professional college owners has condemned the CMAT more vociferously than others because, a source said, they too were planning to launch an all-India admission test.

Benign corporates allowed to enter tech edu
By Rajiv Shukla

NEW DELHI : Subtly and stealthily, the Union Human Resource Development Ministry on December 30 allowed corporates to creep into technical education sector in the country.

The entry, initially has been allowed to benign companies defined under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 -- and in only 241 districts where currently no AICTE Institution exists -- giving profiteers a fair hint to wait and watch.

Besides, the corporates have been allowed to set up campuses through PPP or through build-operate-transfer mode under agreement with public sector.  Like all other companies, the educational institutions set up by the benign companies will be regulated by the ministry of corporate affairs.

Till now only registered Trusts and Societies were allowed to establish technical education institutions in the country -- this was to keep business coporates at bay.

The announcement of this crucial decision was made by the Union Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal on behalf of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) on December 30.

“We will henceforth allow companies registered as non-profit entities under Section 25 of the Companies Act 1956 to establish technical institutions to allow good corporates to set up institutions. However, no joint venture can apply for this,” Sibal announced.

Corporate houses have been demanding such a provision for a long time, saying it is much easier to function as a Section 25 company than as a trust or society.

Enumerating the revised norms for AICTE approval the minister said that Institutes offering post-graduate management diplomas will have to subscribe to scores in the Common Admission Test, Management Aptitude Test or tests conducted by state governments.

This firm announcement effectively bars some institutions like Jamshedpur-based XLRI to hold their own entrance test XAT. The new policy is in consonance with the Supreme Court ruling in the landmark 11-judge decision in T M A Pai Foundation Vs State of Karnataka case decided on April 3, 2002 in which the apex court specifically said that all admissions to technical education institutions in the country should be done through an all-India common entrance test.

Announcing a major relaxation in the AICTE norms the minister declared that in rural sector, only 10 acre will be required to set up an engineering institute while in urban sector only 2.5 acre -- obviously indicating a vertical construction module for the technical education institutions.

In a pleasant surprise for students, Mr Sibal also announced an increase of almost 200,000 seats in engineering courses. As part of reforms in the AICTE norms, the minister also announced an additional 80,000 seats in management and 2,200 seats in architecture courses. Technical institutes, Mr Sibal said, can from now on increase the intake capacity per programme from 40 to 60 seats.

The AICTE has also decided to create 5 per cent supernumerary seats in each institution which will be reserved for students from economically backward backgrounds.

Students whose family income is less than Rs 2.5 lakh a year can get admission to these seats and will not have to pay tuition fees.

“It was the discretion on the part of the institution to apply for such a scheme. Now these seats are made mandatory for every institute up to 5 per cent,” Sibal said.

The AICTE has also modified the approval norms under which institutes could offer stand-alone postgraduate programme. Under the existing norms PG courses were allowed only on campuses that offered undergraduate programmes. However now the AICTE has allowed stand-alone PG institutes as well.

Sibal said B.Sc students could seek lateral entry to a second-year B.Tech degree programme provided they had mathematics at Class XII or at the BSc level.

PIB press release adds :

5 pm to 8 pm Courses for skill development that are based on the expertise areas possessed by the respective Institutions in the areas of Engineering / Technology / Architecture / Town Planning / Hospitality / Pharmacy etc are being allowed to be conducted by AICTE approved Institutions. This will facilitate the community around the Institutions to benefit by acquiring the skills provided by these Institutes. These Institutions are expected to form clusters with other institutions in the neighbourhood and collaborate with the Industries in the area in running these skill based programs.


Upto year 2010, different Programs like Engineering / Architecture / Pharmacy / Management / Hotel management and catering Technology, one each were allowed to be integrated into a single campus so that resources can be shared and optimised. Now this facility has been extended to more than one program to be integrated ie, 2 or more Engineering colleges, 2 or more management colleges and so on can be integrated as Technical / integrated campus to optimise resources

Upto year 2010, Tuition fee waiver scheme operated by AICTE allows for providing 10% supernumerary seats that are given to students of economically backward category. These seats were provided for Instituitions who may apply for such a scheme. Now these seats are made manadatory for every Institute upto 5%.

Security Money Deposit that takes care of contingencies in case of Institutions defaulting on their obligations, shall be replaced as money deposit in AICTE account. All existing FDR’s shall be converted to money deposit. This is necessitated because of

• Earlier FDR’s being encashed without AICTE knowledge or permission

• Custody and logistics of maintaining FDR’s being a source of problems.

The interest accrued shall be used to facilitate more stake holders like faculty, students, funding Institutions through schemes, and enhanced scholarships. AICTE has recently taken a decision to include all Government and Government aided Institutions as QIP centres in order to promote more research amongst faculty and produce more Ph. D’s. Hence a lot more faculty would be needed to be provided with QIP scholarships. This is also expected to be met from the money so generated.

All institutions completing more than one batch shall be eligible to get 2 Courses / program / level / shift on self disclosure if facilities and infrastructure are available. One Course would mean an addition of 60 students or one division. The ceiling which was there earlier like no increase after an intake of 540 students has been removed.

Institutions not completing one batch of passed out students shall get 1 Courses / program / level / shift on self disclosure if facilities are available.

If institutions have accreditation a further 1 Courses / program / level / shift shall be given additional in the course accredited.

2nd Shift Courses and Women to Co-Ed Institutions shall be processed only after expert visits confirm that the infrastructure required exists with the Institutions.

Stand alone PG Institutes can be started which was not the case earlier.

Indian Degrees can be given in campuses of Indian Institutions abroad subject to local laws.

Overseas campus can be setup subject to local laws and Indian Government clearance.

PGDM courses to be regulated as per several representations made.

• Date of admissions and Model curriculum to be given by AICTE

• Admissions to be effected by States and Fee to be regulated by State fee committee.

All approvals for Polytechnics shall be processed by AICTE.

Students of XII Vocational / Technical of the State Boards or any other to be admitted to 2nd Year lateral entry of a Diploma Program

Students of B. Sc to be admitted to 2nd Year lateral entry onto a Degree Program provided they have passed Mathematics at XII or B Sc level and would be required to pass Engineering Graphics and Engineering Mechanics along with the second year subjects.

10% lateral entry seats increased to 20% in all states except Andaman Nicobar, Lakshadweep and Diu Daman where it is 30%

A separate division of 60 students / course can be started from 2nd year onwards in all AICTE approved Institutions subject to availability of infrastructure, exclusively for Polytechnic students for lateral entry.

All approval process to be completed by May 31st 2011 to enable coordinated planning.