Bhubaneswar, Aug. 1: Private diploma engineering schools across the state have demanded scrapping of the Diploma Entrance Test (DET).

Promoters of these schools alleged that though the revised rules of AICTE-2011 stipulate that students with 35 per cent marks in HSC examination can take up a diploma engineering course without qualifying in any entrance test, the state continues to force candidates to appear for DET.

This is being done to continue collecting the entrance fee, which amounts to around Rs 4 crore every year, alleged the promoters.

Saroj Sahoo, secretary of Odisha Private Engineering Schools Association, said: “A state-level merit list of candidates with 35 per cent marks can be drawn up. Admissions can be conducted on the lines of the Plus Two and Plus Three admissions in the state, which are completed in 15 days. Diploma admissions continue for three to four months leading to loss of valuable time. The time could be utilised to provide students with quality education. Instead of making the admission process cumbersome, the state government should try to ease it down for the benefit of students.”

There are 119 engineering schools in the state, including 18 government institutions with a total of 39,319 seats.

The admission in diploma engineering schools has recorded an all-time low this year. While there were 5,241 vacant seats in 2009, it was 8,725 in 2010, 13,903 in 2011 and 14,801 in 2012.

This year 25,388 seats are lying vacant, resulting to 65 per cent vacancy.

“The state government plans to train 10 lakh youth in five years. On other hand, they are crippling the future of skill providing institutes by their faulty policies,” said Bibhuti Bhushan Tripathy, vice-president of the association.

The second DET will be held on August 6 in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack.

However, citing the recent flood situation in many parts of the state, the colleges have demanded additional examination centers in Berhampur, Balasore, Rourkela.

This year, the technical education department had rejected the appeal by these colleges to conduct a second DET citing ‘inadequacy of time’.

After that the association approached the high court , which directed the government to conduct a second DET and complete the admission process by August 15.