Practical knowledge must for tech students: AICTE

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 11

The All-India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has made it mandatory for the students of technical courses to undergo six-month internship with industrial houses.

A study conducted by the council revealed that lack of practical knowledge was affecting the students passing out of the technical institutes.

The higher focus on industrial training is part of the changes being introduced by the council in the curriculum of technical courses across the country. The council has allowed 350 technical institutes across the country to introduce 11 new diploma and degree courses such as printing, packing, electronics, artificial intelligence and mobile technology.

“More hours spent in practical training will bridge the skill gap and increase employability of the students in over 10,000 technical institutes across the country,” Dr MP Poonia, Vice-Chairman, AICTE, told The Tribune. The council has already held meetings with the Federation of Self-Financing Technical Institutions (FSFTI) on the issue.

Apart from bringing industry-oriented changes in courses like BCA, MCA, M.Tech, MBA etc, the council is making changes in the examination pattern to test conceptual knowledge of the students. The number of credits points required for theory has been cut to 160 from 220. It means that the students will not to have study irrelevant subjects that were mandatory till now. At least 14 of 160 credit points will be for summer internship.

The council has also decided to utilise the infrastructure of technical institutes for two lakh school dropouts who could not pursue technical education. Such students are being enrolled in short-term 450 skill courses and the institute imparting training would be given Rs 12,000 each. This year, 15,000 such students had been enrolled in Punjab, said Dr Poonia.

To promote startups, the council is coming out with a training programme to enable the students set up their own businesses.

Induction programme

On the pattern of the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), the AICTE has decided to run a 21-day induction programme in technical institutes. At the beginning of the academic session, the students would spend the first 21 days in interacting with other students. The programme has been designed by the IIT, Varanasi.