New Delhi: Engineering colleges under the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) will soon be able to offer courses in emerging fields — artificial intelligence, robotics, machine learning and others — from the academic year 2021-22.
The council has sought a list of the new courses from institutions that were already offering them from 2020-21, and will add them to the AICTE’s approval handbook from next year. Once done, the new curriculum will become official, enabling more colleges to offer the courses to students. The idea is to make students employment-ready in line with the new National Education Policy.
Making the announcement in a circular dated 29 October, the AICTE said, “lt is seen that during the approval process 2020-21, many institutions have made use of this opportunity for introduction of new courses in the emerging disciplines approved by the council. We all understand that the introduction of more number of new courses in emerging areas or Interdisciplinary Courses would help the student community in their goal of employability or entrepreneurship and this is also stated in the new National Education Policy 2020.”
“Hence you are hereby requested to furnish the list of any such already approved new courses, if any, by your governing body/ academic council/board of studies along with detailed curriculum…,” the circular further read.
Also read: Refund full fee to students withdrawing admission before 10 November, AICTE tells colleges
Push for revamping curriculum
For the year 2020-21, the council had ordered that all institutions applying for a new programme or increase in intake in engineering and technology seats shall be permitted “only in emerging areas”.
According to AICTE, many institutions have made use of the opportunity by introducing new courses and the council now wants to extend the opportunity to other institutions as well. Institutions have been asked to submit details of the new programmes by 15 November.
Prompted by the low demand in engineering and technology, AICTE has been trying to revamp engineering education in the country. Among the steps taken by the council are introduction of courses in emerging areas, slashing the number of seats across courses and colleges and banning opening of new colleges.
Also read: Govt repeats warning to new tech institutes — don’t try to sound like IIT, IIM, IISc