BANGALORE: As many as 54 MTech aspirants’ career is in lurch. Thanks to the state government, the Higher Education Department’s ‘ignorance’, three government engineering colleges have started MTech courses without approval from All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).This year for the first time, government engineering colleges, including those in Hassan, Haveri and Bangalore, have decided to start MTech courses. But the department neither took approval from the AICTE nor from Visveshwariah Technical University (VTU).Classes have commenced from October 3, 2011. Official sources from VTU said that any engineering college in Karnataka that wants to start under graduate or post graduate courses, has to seek permission from AICTE.Later, they have to apply to VTU for approval.“As a normal procedure, teams from AICTE and VTU will visit the campus to examine the teaching faculty and infrastructure. It is then that both the bodies will decide to give a nod,” sources said.Officials said that last year more than 90 private engineering colleges wanting to start MTech courses were rejected by AICTE as they lacked basic facilities.When this is the scenario, the state government went a step ahead and started MTech courses in government engineering colleges which do not have sufficient staff.The department has violated this and asked Karnataka Examination Authority directly to conduct counselling for MTech courses. The courses that have begun without approval from both these bodies is considered as invalid.When contacted H Maheshappa, Vice-Chancellor of VTU, he refused to comment. However, he agreed that courses have started without approval from AICTE and VTU. “We are writing a letter to the state government in this regard,” he said.Speaking to Express, Federation of Engineering College Teachers Association of Karnataka President Dr S Vidhyashankar said that affiliated colleges can’t start under graduate or post graduate courses on their own. Only university engineering colleges (In Karnataka, UVCE is the only university college) can start new courses on its own. Latha Krishna Rao, principal secretary of the Higher Education Department, when contacted said that this year for the first time the government had started these courses in three colleges. Each college started one MTech course with 18 intake. “As far as I know, all seats are filled,” she said. When asked about the AICTE approval, she said that there is no need to take permission from AICTE.WHAT DOES THE RULE SAY?According to the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) (Grant of Approvals for technical institutions) Regulation 2010, under section 4.33, any institution offering technical programs/courses without approval of the Council shall be termed as unapproved.Provided further, such institutions which are not approved by the Council shall be liable for action for closure including appropriate action against defaulting societies /trusts /companies and associated individuals depending on the nature of the case.
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