Jadavpur University will continue with its five-year evening BTech programme because the AICTE has said a university could follow a flexible schedule, JU pro-VC Chiranjeeb Bhattacharya said on Friday.
The All India Council of Technical Education (AICTE), which regulates engineering education in the country, had said in its approval handbook for the 2019-20 academic year that only day-time engineering programmes would be recognised as regular courses.
The handbook created uncertainty about the fate of the evening BTech programme offered by JU.
But the latest approval handbook (for the 2023-24 academic year) says the programme can be offered according to the convenience of the stakeholders. “So, the university has decided to continue with the evening programme,” pro-VC Bhattacharya said.
The Telegraph reported on July 21 that JU had called a meeting on July 28 to decide whether it would continue with its evening BTech programme (offered in three disciplines — civil, electrical and mechanical) from the 2023-24 academic year in view of what the AICTE said in the approval handbook for 2019-20 academic year.
The 2019-20 handbook said: “Regular programmes are those where classes are held in face-to-face mode and the classes are held in normal day timings.”
A university official said the council sent the handbook to JU last month,creating doubts about the validity of the evening programme.
“But the AICTE’s approval handbook for the 2023-24 academic year states the universities may conduct the BTech courses according to the convenience of all stakeholders. Since they have granted the flexibility, we won’t have any problem in continuing with the evening programme,” Bhattacharya told this newspaper.
JU offers four-year BTech programmes in 16 disciplines, including civil, electrical and mechanical engineering.
These three disciplines have been running five-year evening BTech programmes separately for working professionals.
Students get admitted to the evening programme through an entrance test conducted by the university.