Bengaluru: An expert panel on engineering education reforms in Karnataka has proposed differential fee structures across programs, with lower fees for core disciplines such as mechanical, civil, electrical and electronics engineering (EEE), to revive interest in them.
The new structure proposes an annual fee of Rs 50,000 for mechanical engineering, Rs 60,000 for civil, Rs 40,000 for EEE/ECE, and Rs 70,000 for aerospace. In contrast, a government quota seat for these disciplines at a private college currently costs between Rs 87,000 and Rs 97,000 annually. It is not yet clear when this new fee structure will come into effect, if accepted by the government. The committee, led by Prof S Sadagopan, has recommended fee subsidies to encourage students to opt for core disciplines vital to industry and infrastructure. The proposal aims to make these programs more affordable than popular streams such as computer science (CS) and information technology (IT).
Beyond fee cuts, the committee has also suggested attractive financial support to boost enrollment. This includes industry-backed merit scholarships for the top 20% of students in these branches, ranging from Rs 75,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh annually. To further strengthen industry linkages, the report proposes guaranteed internships with stipends of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 per month. The report also points to reasons behind the lack of interest in core disciplines. While a mechanical engineering graduate from a tier 2 college earns a starting salary of Rs 3.5-4.5 lakh annually, a CS counterpart gets around Rs 5-8 lakh. Moreover, core curricula in many colleges have not been updated substantially for more than 15 years.
Commenting on the proposals, M C Sudhakar, the minister for higher education, said: "In the coming years, we will be discussing and implementing various reforms."
Hub-and-Spoke Model
Along with proposals for a revised fee structure, the committee also recommended a hub-and-spoke model, with 15 hub institutions designated for world-class lab upgrades, and another 150 spoke colleges earmarked that will be able to send their students to the hubs for four to six weeks annually.
Core Challenges of Engineering Education
- Employability: Report points out only 17% of students find jobs.
- CS is oversaturated.
- Unregulated IT seat proliferation in private colleges triggers faculty exodus.
- Collapse of tier 2/3 colleges.
- Talent paucity in core engineering disciplines.
Workforce Gaps
- India faces workforce gap of 20,000-35,000.
- State-level gap at 10,000-15,000.
- Projected annual shortfall:
- Aerospace and defence: 4,500-8,500
- Semiconductors and VLSI: 10,000-15,000
- Electric vehicles: 6,000-11,000
- Clean energy: 5,000-9,000
- Infrastructure: 6,000-12,000
- Biomedical devices: 2,200-4,200
